Something in the making for now
by Niliwen
Summary: I finally updated! Chapter 20: An orc hunt, a prankster and some spring cleaning
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Yes, I'm here, for the first time. I don't own most of the characters/places, etc.-they all belong to Professo J.R.R Tolkien. But I do own Irilia, Niliwen, Delilah and Greg. That's all: so since this is my 1st time, if I goofed the disclaimer- please don't sue. Thanks to Mishi for giving me the guts to post this thing  
  
I'm in this story, but this is definitely not a Mary-Sue. Setting: Middle-Earth University, in the Blue Mountains, September 1419  
  
Chapter 1- Surprises  
  
"Hey watch it!" a girl yelled in the corridor as she collided with another student that first day of school. "Ow! I'm going to have a sore bottom for two hours!" said the second student, a young man with blond hair and blue eyes, who had been riding on a skateboard until ten seconds ago. "You wouldn't get into accidents like this if you didn't ride that skateboard!" said the girl as she straightened out her brown hair and adjusted her gold boots. "I'm sorry miss. But may I know your name? After all, you look like a freshman student, just like me" said the boy. "My name is Lothiriel. What's yours?" the girl said. "Well then, my name is Eomer, and it's a pleasure to meet you" said the boy as he helped Lothiriel up. " Well then, thank you Eomer, and I have to be on my way. See you in class" said Lothiriel as she began to walk away. Suddenly, she bumped into another student. "Hey, watch it Lothiriel!" the other student exclaimed. Behind them, Eomer was trying hard to control his laughter. "Yeah, I'm sorry Arwen. What brings you here?" said Lothiriel to the other student, a tall girl with dark hair like night and wise gray eyes. "Arwen! Are you alright?" another voice came down the hall. "Aragorn, I'm okay" Arwen called to the newcomer, a slightly scruffy, dark- haired boy, also with gray eyes. "Well, look who's also here" Eomer remarked when he saw the newcomer. "Well, it's good to see you here, Eomer" said Aragorn as he slipped an arm about Arwen's waist. "You know him too, Eomer?" Lothiriel asked her new acquaintance. "Oh, I've been friends with Aragorn since March. But I've only known Arwen for a few minutes" said Eomer. Lothiriel blushed, and she formally introduced Arwen to Eomer. It was then that Lothiriel learned that Arwen was engaged to Aragorn. "Well, it's good to meet the two of you. Do you know who else is studying in the university?" Aragorn asked Eomer. "My sister is, and so are the four hobbits" said Eomer. "There were three hobbit girls in the dorm" said Arwen. "Your brothers are studying here too" said Aragorn to Arwen. "Were you talking about us?" a voice came from the hallway. Two elves and seven hobbits (three girls and four boys) came around the corner. "Hello Elladan and Elrohir" Aragorn greeted his fiancée's brothers. "Yeah, it's good to see you, buddy" said Elrohir. "So, what has been going on here?" asked Elladan. "A chance meeting, obviously" said one of the hobbit lads. "Well, it's good to see you Sam, and Frodo, and Pippin and Merry," said Eomer to the four hobbit lads. "I don't believe we know your names," said Arwen to the three hobbit girls. "Oh, I'm sorry. Guys, meet Rose, Estella and Diamond" Pippin began. Soon the three hobbit girls had gotten to know the whole company. "You said your sister was studying here, Eomer," said Arwen. "Is her name Eowyn? She's our roommate. I saw her this morning, and she went off a while ago to the Activities Office" said Lothiriel. "Yes, that's my sister, but I haven't seen her the whole morning since we parted" said Eomer. "Let's go discuss that while we get some grub" Merry suggested and then they were on their way down the hallways to grab a snack at the canteen.  
  
An hour later, Lothiriel went across campus to get some school supplies when she caught sight of three familiar figures sitting in a garden. "Niliwen!" she called to one of them. "Well, look who's joined the company," said Niliwen, a gangly girl with brown hair and brown eyes, as she saw Lothiriel approach. "So what have you people been up to?" Lothiriel asked her friend. "Nothing much. So, the three hobbit girls I saw this morning are taking the room to your left, isn't that right?" said Niliwen. "Yes, and the two of us are getting the room to your right" said another girl, with chocolate brown hair and peach eyes, dressed in black, lying on the grass. "I guess that's correct, Irilia" said Lothiriel. "So, what new thing have you seen?" asked a gray eyed young man with dark hair, with a book open on his lap. He was dressed pretty simply in a white shirt and blue jeans and he looked intently at Lothiriel. "You would know more about those if you got around more often, Faramir. I didn't even know you were here, cousin," said Lothiriel teasingly. "I know. I've talked to Aragorn, Arwen, her brothers, and the hobbits" said Faramir as he turned another page of the book. "Okay, I also talked to them a while ago, and I almost forgot-they did mention you talked to them" said Lothiriel. "Well look who's coming" said Irilia as she sat up. "Well, good day Legolas and Gimli" Niliwen called to two figures-an elf and a dwarf, approaching them. "Well hi you four. What's the buzzing groove?" asked Legolas the elf. "Don't mind him, he's being stupid" said Gimli the dwarf. "More like somebody going to a disco" said Irilia. "Hey, I almost forgot something. Did you know that Eomer is studying here?" said Lothiriel. "You mean that cute blond dude with the blue eyes?" said another voice. All six of them looked to see a redheaded woman with flashing green eyes, clad in a skimpy mini-skirt and a top with a plunging neckline. "Yeah, it's him. What's your name?" asked Lothiriel. Legolas and Gimli almost sniggered at the girl's description of Eomer. "My name is Delilah Morgan. What's yours?" said the girl. Lothiriel promptly introduced the gang and Delilah tossed her head as she saw another boy come over. "Hey, what's up chick?" said the boy. "Shut up Greg, and get me some tea" said Delilah smoothly to the newcomer as she walked off. "Well, what's going on with you chicks hanging out with nerdy here?" asked the boy Delilah called Greg as he sneered at Faramir. "The * nerd * is my cousin!" said Lothiriel defensively. "Oh, sorry babe" said Greg as he walked off. " Thank you Lothiriel. So what's new with Eomer of Rohan studying here?" Faramir asked. "That's cool," said Gimli. "So, what does that mean?" asked Irilia. "Eomer has got a sister," said Legolas. Faramir put two and two together in his head and something dawned on him. "Eowyn is here," he said. "Well, I thought it might interest you. After all you did mention her over the summer" said Lothiriel, as her cousin got up and began walking down to the garden gate. "Who is this Eowyn girl anyway?" Niliwen asked. "A friend. A friend I should catch up on," said Faramir before he left.  
  
After the flurry of settling in that afternoon, the campus was in a fever pitch before the Welcome Party for the freshmen. After he'd gotten all his business done, Faramir had taken the opportunity to go for a walk in the woods. It was almost sundown when he had finally cleared his head from the bustle of the busy day. A pleasantly cool breeze blew through the forest, and the smells of pine trees and mint wafted through the woods. Faramir thought that he was all alone, for all he could hear were the chirping birds and the occasional sound of leaves rustling or a squirrel running by. Then he heard the sound of a guitar from somewhere in the brush.  
  
He followed the music until he came to a big pine tree. To his surprise, he saw a girl, sitting in the shade of the tree with her guitar. She donned a red peasant blouse and a beige skirt and green sandals were upon her feet. She had a white flower tucked in her long yellow tresses, and her slim hands strummed the guitar intently. Then, her gray eyes met Faramir's eyes, and she recognized him. He also recognized her. "Hello Eowyn" he greeted her politely. Eowyn put down her instrument, stood up and smiled. "Hello Faramir. How have you been doing lately?" she said as she shook his hand warmly. "I've been doing well, thank you. How about you?" Faramir asked before he kissed the back of Eowyn's hand. Eowyn laughed softly and replied "The same as ever, or if not better. Come on, sit on that rock over here" as she motioned to a smooth brown rock beside her. "I heard from my cousin that you were studying here," said Faramir as he looked at her affectionately. "So, Lothiriel is your cousin. I guessed so, but she didn't tell me you were here" said Eowyn playfully. "She didn't know till she saw me later this morning. Where were you the whole day?" Faramir asked. "I settled my room, and my stuff early on, so I've been exploring the whole day," said Eowyn. "I didn't know you could play a guitar. You never told me," said Faramir. "I only learned last summer. I'm sorry I forgot to write to you after I left for home" said Eowyn. She'd met Faramir only last March, during her adventure in Gondor, and since they last parted, they hadn't quite been in touch. "That's alright. I also forgot to keep in touch," said Faramir sheepishly. "Oh, it doesn't matter since we'll be classmates for around four years. Well, so I'll be seeing a lot of you, and I don't think you're prosaic, so I don't mind" Eowyn said. "It's getting a bit dark, so let's get going back, shall we" said Faramir as they both stood up and Eowyn slung her guitar over her shoulder. They walked back to the campus, chatting and laughing about all that had passed during the summer. Faramir couldn't help but notice that Eowyn was a lot happier and a good deal more passionate about life. It was honestly a huge turnaround from the miserable, grave and weary lady he'd met in the spring. Eowyn also knew that to some measure, Faramir had found a bit of peace in his life. When it came to his personality, he was still the same thoughtful, benevolent man she'd come to be friends with. That was a good thing.  
  
Chapter 2- A Cocktail of Colors  
  
The two students burst in through the doors of the Main Hall at High Street, the dormitory complex. People were going towards the dining room down the hall, and the hallway was bustling with activity. "I guess I should leave my guitar here," said Eowyn as she put her guitar down on a baggage rack. "I wonder who else is going to be here," said Faramir as he and Eowyn began walking towards the dining hall. "Just about everybody you met. I haven't talked to too many people yet," said Eowyn. "Now is your opportunity" said Faramir as they entered in. The hall was decked in a rainbow of colors, and it was teeming with students from all over Middle-Earth. Most of the students hailed from Gondor, Rohan, Dunland, and other places inhabited by Men as far as the nearer regions of Rhun and Harad. A considerable percentage of students were Elves, and a good number of hobbits also came to study. However, dwarves were by far the fewest in this mix of students, since many of them still preferred life in the mountains. Faramir and Eowyn recognized many of the students, and it took a while till they met up with their closer friends.  
  
"So, what's up with that Delilah girl?" asked Aragorn as he and his friends sat around a large round table. Arwen elbowed her fiancé in the ribs and gave him a look of mock annoyance. "What's wrong with asking?" asked Aragorn. "You pay a lot of attention to girls with shape, do you" said Arwen as she sipped her drink. "What I meant was that girl has no sense of proper decorum-and of temperature. I was seriously wondering what would make her wear that on a cold day like this," said Aragorn, much to Arwen's amusement. "What disturbs me is that Greg jerk. He stuffed me and Pip into a locker this afternoon" said Merry as he grabbed a sandwich from a table. "Yeah, one minute, it was 'Hi Merry", the next it was "Ow, my larynx is broken," said Pippin as he changed his voice to match the situation. "You're telling me. That idiot keeps on yelling 'Hey baby' at any girl he sees. He's just shallow. All he thinks of is butts and legs," said Rose. "Gosh, I don't know what you people are talking about," said Eowyn. "Basically, they're both persons who will never know the meaning of the universe, because they won't bother unlike those who try" said Elrohir as he snapped his fingers. "Knock it off with that beatnik thing, will 'ya?" said Estella. "What interests me is how did Greg know Faramir is a nerd?" asked Niliwen. Eowyn stifled a giggle and Faramir glared at Niliwen. "Look who's talking!" said Legolas. "Nooo, I'm a journalist. He's poetry boy," said Niliwen. "Well, just one look at him, and you could tell" Irilia quipped. "What in the heavens is this with this whole nerd and jock complex?" said Gimli. "You may as well fathom the popularity complex, Gimli. You could, if you spent some time in the real world" said Elladan. "He does, people. He's just UNCONVENTIONAL, which means" Frodo began. "Yeah, yeah Mr. Baggins, we know the meaning of that," said Eomer. "Hey Sam, you can stop scraping the plate now. The bacteria is gone!" said Diamond. "Actually, it wouldn't matter. There's bacteria everywhere," said Faramir. "That's why I'm scraping it!" said Sam. " Now you wonder why you're branded as a nerd" said Lothiriel.  
  
Suddenly, a disco ball was lowered from the ceiling and music began playing. "Oh yeah! That's the way I like it, uh huh, yeah I do" said Elrohir as he began grooving to the beat. "Come on, let's have some fu-n!" screeched Gimli in the most annoying manner possible. "Oh dear" muttered Diamond. "That's so ungroovy, partner" said Legolas as he began doing handstands. "Oh yeah, macho, macho man!" said Irilia. Niliwen gave her a strange look. "Why don't you and Arwen dance?" Frodo dared Aragorn. "I have two left feet," said Aragorn. "No, don't lie. You were great dancing with me under the trees" said Arwen.  
  
"I didn't know he could dance. Let's see that," said Elladan. Arwen pulled Aragorn out to the dance floor and they began doing some rock n' roll moves. "Hey, look who's dirty dancing with Greg there," said Sam. They looked to where Delilah was busy dirty dancing with Greg. "Gross," Rose remarked. "Why don't you dance with Lothiriel?" Estella asked Eomer as she began dancing beside Merry. "I look like a convulsion when I dance disco-style," said Eomer. "Why don't you do some break dancing?" asked Pippin. "That's one thing he's good at. Come on, show us that 'wave' body-popping move!" yelled Merry. Eomer promptly began dancing, and Lothiriel clapped. "Groovy! You have to teach us that" she said as Eomer began doing backspins beside her. "Hey Faramir, I didn't know you could dance like that, " said Eowyn as she watched her friend do some disco dance moves. "I also learned last summer," said Faramir as he watched Eowyn swinging her hips to the music.  
  
"Hey gang, here comes a lot of trouble!' said Niliwen a while later as she saw Delilah come up to the group. "Well hello there. Who's the hottie?" she crooned as she approached Aragorn. "Um, good evening, Miss Morgan" said Aragorn politely. "Yeah, whatever. Well, so what kind of man like you is doing here without a pretty lady near by?" Delilah said flirtatiously. "Actually, Delilah, my fiancée Arwen and I were just about to go for another dance" said Aragorn as he watched Arwen finish her soda at the bar. Delilah looked dejected. "Oh okay. See you, hot stuff" she said as she slipped away. "What in the blazes was she doing with you?" asked Arwen as she rejoined him. "I don't know. In my scoreboard, her decency factor has just dropped ten thousand points," said Aragorn. " Well, I see why," said Arwen as Aragorn put an arm around her waist and they began to dance. Across the room, Greg was busy picking on Eowyn. "Well, hot baby want to dance on my love boat tonight?" he said. "Um, no thanks. Maybe some other time, Greg" she declined. "Why not now?" he begged. "Do you want to talk to my brother about that?" she said sharply. "Yeah, and what are you doing hanging out with Nerdy over here?" he said as he gave Faramir the evil eye. "It takes one to know one" Faramir retorted. "And what are you going to do? Kill me with logic?" said Greg. "Perhaps. How do you want it, Elvish style or in numerical system?" Faramir said coolly. Behind them, Eomer and Lothiriel tried to stop snickering. Greg stared Faramir down for a minute until Eowyn stepped in. "Guys, maybe we should get a drink or something" she said as she stepped between them, breaking up the tension. "And I was half wishing it would come to blows" said Irilia. 


	2. Election time!

Elections  
  
"Hey, who's running for Batch Representative?" asked Elladan six weeks later. "Well, I heard that Migor from Dunland is running, and he's a pretty hotshot guy. Then there's Wergo from Harad, and he's putting a good fight " said Elrohir. "Who's the third force?" asked Elladan. "Hey you two! There's a scoop. Aragorn was chosen to lead the third party!" said Estella excitedly. "Aragorn?! In this part of the country, he's virtually unknown!" said Elrohir. "Don't be daft. He's got a good following from the South" said Estella. "Yeah, but the War is one thing, college politics is another" said Elladan.  
  
"Well, who knows. I suggest we back him up. Wergo and Migor don't stand a chance" said Estella as she passed a campaign leaflet. Elladan scanned it for a while. "I think his campaign program looks good. But if popularity is a basis among the freshmen, he's going to have to whip up a lot of support!" he said.  
  
"What exactly defines a loser anyway?" asked Niliwen as she looked at the maiden issue of the underground college survey sheet now known as The Middle-Earth University Stats. "I don't know. I guess it's someone at the edge of the pecking order" said Diamond. "Hey, did you know that OUR survey has just been compiled?" said Merry as he walked in. "Wow! Who's at the top?" asked Gimli. "The most popular guy in school is Aragorn," said Diamond as she grabbed the paper. "No way! I thought that he wasn't so well-known in this place!" exclaimed Elrohir as he walked in with his two companions. "Well, this survey says the contrary" said Elladan as he read it. "I told you that he's got a chance," said Estella. "A chance of what?" asked Niliwen. "Of winning the election!" said Elrohir. "It's true. I got it from him straight" said Arwen as she slipped in. "So, are you helping him?" Niliwen asked. "Of course she is" said Merry.  
  
After some small talk, Arwen, Estella, Elladan and Elrohir left the room. "Okay, did you know that Arwen is the most popular girl too?" Diamond said.  
  
"Cool. Though it's quite ironic that Delilah is more popular than Eowyn" said Merry. "Ah, the ever present popularity complex. Unfathomable" said Gimli. " Hey, everyone in the 'atrocious 6' is here except for Faramir!" said Niliwen. "Why do we call them the atrocious 6?" asked Diamond. "That's because they're always together and there's never a conforming moment with them around" said Gimli. "Well, why isn't Faramir in the list?" asked Niliwen. "Maybe because he's the shyest and the most bookish among them?" said Merry. "Well, that's obvious. But he's a pretty nice guy" said Niliwen. "You're not going for him are you?" teased Gimli. Niliwen tried to hold back a giggle. "Actually, Delilah and Greg are more on the notoriety list" said Diamond. "That's not too surprising," said Merry.  
  
"OW!" Eowyn yelled as a bucket fell on her head while she was passing through the hallway. "Sorry!" yelled a voice from on top of a scaffold. "Well, so are you backing up Aragorn the LOSER and not for Wergo the winner?" asked Greg as he sidled up to her. "Well Greg, I've read the campaign programs. Besides, I owe something to him" said Eowyn as she walked along. "Jeez Greg did you know that Aragorn is a LOT more popular than you are?" a spectator called from the side. "Shut up barf face" Greg snarled. Eowyn took the opportunity to scamper away.  
  
"The ballot is ridiculous" Faramir noted as he came out of the voting booth. "For a second, I thought it was a white anaconda," said Eomer as he sipped his coffee. "Well, the print on the ballot is super large," said Lothiriel. "That's really weird," said Arwen as she sat down. Suddenly, shouts and running footsteps were heard outside the polling center. Then, Aragorn and Eowyn burst in through the doors and slammed them shut. "There's a real bad rock fight out there. We had to call the cops," said Aragorn as he looked out the window. "It was between Migor's guys and Wergo's dudes," said Eowyn as she tried to catch her breath. "Ouch" said Lothiriel. Suddenly, a rock fell in through the window. "Really bad rock fight" said Arwen as she tried to look for a way out.  
  
It turned out that Delilah Morgan and Greg Adamson were on opposite sides of the battle, and Irilia, Elladan and Elrohir had been caught in the middle along with other students who were either supporting Aragorn, or who had boycotted the elections. This pretty much explained the cuts and bruises on a good number of the people in the scene. As for the six of them in the room and the polling officers, they'd escaped nearly unscathed for they only found a way out when the riot was dispersed. So ended the Afternoon of the Anaconda Ballot, with no deaths whatsoever, but with a considerable number of injuries. 


	3. The Monopoly Conspiracy

Note: Yes, I may be accused of making some people OOC at this point, but this is a college story after all. Just R&R this story please! Constructive feedback highly appreciated! Enjoy! Disclaimer: Still don't own most of the characters, but Niliwen Irilia, Delilah and Greg are still mine. Okay, I don't own the game Monopoly-it belongs to Parker Brothers.  
  
The Monopoly Conspiracy  
  
"I'm tired. That day was all too exciting," said Eowyn later that evening. She, along with some other freshmen was passing time in the downstairs hallway after what became known as "The Afternoon of the Anaconda Ballot". "It got to you, didn't it?" teased Delilah. Niliwen rolled her eyes. She knew what Delilah and Greg had been up to. "Oh, I may as well go to sleep too" said Niliwen as she walked upstairs, and she gave Faramir a lingering gaze as she walked. After Niliwen disappeared from sight, Eowyn began to yawn. "Good night, Eowyn" Faramir said to her before he also left. "That's the first time you didn't have a hard time saying that to me" Eowyn said. "Good night means many things" Faramir noted. "The sun will come out tomorrow. Night doesn't last forever. That is how the world is-nothing is permanent, not even good nights. We will meet again. Sleep well," said Eowyn then she walked up the stairs. "She's gotten me all figured out, but how can I figure HER out? I may never do, but I want to, What I like is that she's so spontaneous-I never know what she's up to next. But sometimes, I wish she was easier to figure out." said Faramir as he left the room.  
  
"That Niliwen girl likes him" Greg told Delilah after the three had quit the room. "I know. So, what is it to you or me?" asked Delilah as she took another shot of drink. "I'll go for Eowyn, and you can use her as a distraction for Faramir" said Greg. "No, she's the pawn. She'll be a lot easier to get out of the picture compared to Eowyn. Then I fill in," said Delilah smugly. "Diabolical" Greg remarked. "We just egg her on, and hopefully they'll all take it hook line and sinker" said Delilah. "Beats me why you're not concentrating on their friends," said Greg. "Two of them are too secure, and the others have no interest. So, they're our second-best bet" said Delilah as she got up and left.  
  
Unbeknownst to all five of them, five hobbits had also heard the conversations. Then, they emerged from their hiding places and met in the middle of the room. "Operation Spy fly up," said Estella as she sat down beside her friends. "Okay, so we get the picture now, so what will we do?" asked Pippin. "Why are we playing matchmaker anyway?" asked Diamond. "Come on, I believe in love and I think that they'd hit it off" said Frodo. "Besides, it would benefit the two of them. They're not just opposites, they're probably complements-or more than that" said Merry. "Well, there's a problem though. Niliwen is a major problem here," said Estella. "I knew she secretly had a crush on him," said Pippin. "Delilah is using her in the conspiracy, so what will we do?" asked Diamond.  
  
"Form our own conspiracy!" said Merry. "Here we go with the conspirators again," said Frodo. "Whoa, so what's the goal of this?" asked Diamond. "Don't you see? We can find some way to give them a background to bond, save Niliwen and foil Delilah!" said Merry. "Pray tell, how will you do that?" asked Estella. "Let's find something they haven't tried or they might do, but Niliwen is not going to do, and set it up, but there is one problem- Niliwen tries everything," said Pippin. "Niliwen is not playing Monopoly with us anymore, but Faramir plays, but Eowyn hasn't tried" Merry noted. "Well then, so we can set Eowyn up on one of your Monopoly rounds," said Frodo. "Cool. But we need time now to get to Niliwen first" said Estella. "Why is that?" asked Merry. "She might get mad at keeping her in the dark on this, so we have to warn her about this whole thing" said Diamond. "Okay, we can do it tomorrow. A brand new operation, my fellow hobbits?" asked Merry. "Right. Operation Boardwalk is on!" said Pippin as the group exchanged high-fives.  
  
"You're serious about this?" asked Niliwen the next day (Tuesday). "Well, you three are embroiled in two conspiracies. The outcome depends upon on what even just ONE of you will do," said Diamond. "So you're asking me to back off? Are you nuts?" said Niliwen defensively. Then Diamond whispered something in her ear.  
  
"That red-headed creep! Why, I'll." said Niliwen. "Have some sophistication. Just cooperate. You can just try to give us a suggestion on how to talk those two into coming over" said Diamond. "Well if it's going to make them happy, I'll back off. As for my suggestion, maybe you can try the phone," said Niliwen and she shrugged as she said this.  
  
Later that day, Arwen ran excitedly up to her friends as they were sitting around at the campus gate. "I've just been to the Polling Center, and it's confirmed" she said as she sat beside Aragorn. "What's confirmed?" asked Eomer. It had been a very close race so far, and it was no easy task to tell who the leader was in the count. "Aragorn has more than 60% of the votes now!" said Arwen gleefully. "Wow, it's actually turning out a lot better than I thought," said Eowyn. Aragorn was speechless. "So, what are you doing on Friday night? Let's have a victory party!" said Lothiriel enthusiastically. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch" Aragorn warned Lothiriel with the old proverb. "The odds are in your favor. So why not?" asked Arwen. "Besides, if you happen to lose it can be a pick-me-up party," said Faramir. "Can I plan it, please?" asked Lothiriel. "It's going to be a disco party, I bet," said Arwen. "That might be cool," said Aragorn and he gave Arwen a kiss. "Well, back to the Friday Night Fever" said Eomer.  
  
The next day, Eowyn was in her room busy testing some jazz moves for the party in two days, when the phone that was stashed in the corner of her bedroom rang. "Great, so who'd call now?" she mused as she toned down the music and picked up the phone. "Hello Eowyn!" Merry said on the other end of the line. "Hi Merry. What's going on?" said Eowyn. "I was going to invite you over to play Monopoly with us" Merry said. "I don't know how to play. Can you find someone else?" Eowyn begged. "No, everyone else is out, and we want a fourth player, and we can teach you to play" said Pippin-and he was telling the truth. "Oh, if it means that much to you. Who's there?" asked Eowyn. "Pippin and I" said Merry. "You said you needed a fourth!" Eowyn retorted. "Merry is looking for a third" said Pippin casually. "Okay, I'll see you in fifteen minutes-but where?" asked Eowyn. "Just meet us in the downstairs room, the one to the side of the hall" said Pippin. A while later, after she finally hung up, Eowyn muttered "I don't know what I'm getting into".  
  
Faramir rushed through the downstairs hall, looking for the room where he and the hobbits played Monopoly in. He seriously wondered whether Niliwen would still care to play-but probably she wouldn't considering the fact that she was a bit of a sore loser. When he entered the room, to his surprise, Eowyn was there, chatting at the table with the hobbits. "Hi guys, Hello Eowyn" he said by way of greeting. "Faramir! I didn't know you were invited here too" said Eowyn as Faramir sat across the table from her. "I didn't know you could play. You never joined us before" Faramir remarked as they began to set up the board. "Actually, I don't know how to play. That's why I want you to teach me" said Eowyn as she smiled at him coyly. Merry and Faramir began explaining the game to Eowyn while Pippin got some soda. After the explanation was done, Pippin finally said "Let's begin" as he tossed the dice onto the board.  
  
"Are you sure you're actually springing for that space?" asked Pippin as Eowyn considered buying a space on the board. "I'll take it. Here's the payment" Eowyn finally said as she handed over three bills. Faramir reached for the deed card to give to Eowyn, at the same time Eowyn's hand went towards the stack. Suddenly, their hands clasped for a brief moment, and when Eowyn realized this, she just smiled and received the card. "Hey you two, I'm next," said Pippin as Merry pushed the dice towards him. So far, Faramir was conversing with Eowyn quite easily. In the past few weeks, Eowyn didn't speak much to him-she was always on the go. But now, it seemed as if the connection between them was getting stronger.  
  
Some minutes later, Eowyn landed on one of Faramir's spaces on the board. "Great, so here's my rent" Eowyn said as she handed over two bills. "Give and take" Merry muttered to himself as he watched Pippin make his move. "Luxury Tax? That's it, I'm really bankrupt now" Pippin complained. "Eowyn is the winner here" Merry noted as he glanced at Eowyn's stack of bills and deed cards. "That wasn't beginner's luck" Faramir said as they cleared the board. "Anyone up for another round? What do you say Faramir?" asked Eowyn. Pippin and Merry knew that their plan had a good chance of succeeding, now that Eowyn was really interested now into actually spending time with Faramir. "It's not even dinner time yet, so why not?" Faramir said casually. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's play now. Eowyn goes first this time," said Pippin as he handed over the dice.  
  
. 


	4. Party on Friday Night

A/N: I hope you laugh real hard here. Okay, let's get on with the disclaimer-it's still the same as those for the last chapters. Everything belongs to Tolkien except "the deranged 4-Irilia, Niliwen, Delilah and Greg". I don't own any of the songs that will be used in the dancing scenes- and I don't have anything personal against the singers of these songs. There is NO drinking here: I want to keep this story rated PG. Enjoy!  
  
Of lights and funky dancing  
  
"Yes! Now we can have that par- tay!" yelled Lothiriel as she dashed into her dorm room on Thursday afternoon. "Aragorn won the election?" asked Arwen, who was standing by the door. "You bet! Whee!" said Lothiriel excitedly. "Oh yeah! I'll rig up those disco lights now," said Legolas (for some screwed up reason, he's hanging out here too). "The party is not till tomorrow night," said Eowyn as she stopped strumming her guitar. "Count me out of the preparations. I have to do homework," Eomer said and he picked up his Physics textbook. "I'll go find Faramir and Aragorn" Eowyn muttered as she walked out the door. "She's always one to find those two boys" Eomer remarked. "Aren't you afraid she'll steal Aragorn from you, Arwen?" asked Legolas. "No, I'm not afraid. I trust her. I also trust Aragorn, by the way" Arwen retorted.  
  
Eowyn didn't have to search long to find them. She knew by now where Faramir would often hang out on a slightly chilly afternoon. If the fields and the music room were to Eowyn, then the high hills and the library were to Faramir. In no time, Eowyn had found herself in the campus library. In an even shorter span of time she'd also found Faramir and Aragorn, along with Niliwen, Irilia, Pippin, Diamond, Estella and Merry, considering just how loudly Pippin and Merry would crack jokes about the current events and just how hard would the rest laugh at their irreverent humor. "Hi Eowyn!" Faramir called as he caught sight of her. "So, what have you eight been up to?" Eowyn asked as she pulled up a chair to the table. "We were *studying * for the tests tomorrow" said Irilia. "What's the result of the election?" asked Merry. "Aragorn made it" Eowyn replied. "Wow! Congratulations!" said Pippin. "That means I'll be meeting with Professor Gandalf tomorrow" said Aragorn. "I thought he was teaching us Math 101" said Niliwen. "No, Professor Saruman is in charge of Math 101. Gandalf is doing Literature 89 and Student Council," said Estella. Literature 89 and Math 101 were compulsory courses for all students in the University. "Don't start now on academics. I wanna party tomorrow," said Niliwen.  
  
The next evening, Aragorn came rushing into the dormitory, laden with books and papers. "A Student Representative's 1st day?" asked Gimli mischievously when they met. "Shut up" Aragorn muttered from behind the pile of books. As he walked up the hallway, he heard two VERY familiar voices. "Elladan, I thought I'd never see the day when books would walk!" Elrohir said to his twin brother as they looked at Aragorn walking up the hallway. Indeed he LOOKED like a huge walking pile of books and papers. "Very funny" Aragorn said. "Elrohir, you're mean," said Elladan disapprovingly. Aragorn walked on, only to crash into Faramir and Eowyn a few more steps later. The books scattered all over the place, and Aragorn found himself sprawled on the floor. On the other hand Faramir had managed to catch Eowyn in his arms as she fell, but now they were both on the floor, trying so hard not to laugh. "Ouch. That wasn't funny, you two" Aragorn said sharply as Eowyn began cracking up. "Aragorn, look at your face! And your pants!" Faramir managed to say between his fits of laughter. "What's with my face?" asked Aragorn. "How sure are you that those pants of yours are sturdy?" said Eowyn as she gasped for breath. Much to his embarrassment, Aragorn found a HUGE hole in the back of his pants. "Just keep your back to the wall. And go and get that ink rainbow off your cheeks" Faramir said as he gathered the books. Suddenly, the sound of a R-RIP sounded through the corridor. "I think someone's pants also got snagged on the floor," said Eowyn. This time it was Aragorn's turn to laugh, while Faramir's face turned scarlet at Eowyn's discovery.  
  
"Let's get this party started!" said Niliwen excitedly as she trooped in with Arwen and Estella. "Don't pass by the la-OUCH!" Lothiriel exclaimed as Niliwen accidentally bumped into the ladder she stood on. "Sorry" said Niliwen. Then a BOOM came from somewhere in the room. "By Elbereth! What is wrong with the # $ & * lights?" yelled Legolas as he came out with his blond hair all sooty. Arwen paled to hear her friend use such foul language. "What happened?" she finally asked. "Those lights blew up on me!" said Legolas as he threw down a string of busted lights. Estella picked them up and examined the lights. "Did you know that the outlet up there is a 220 outlet? And this is a 110 appliance" the hobbit said as she shook her head.  
  
"We're going to be late!" Aragorn said as Faramir, Eowyn and he ran to the room where the party was going to be held, fifteen minutes after Legolas' accident with the lights. "I can't believe that you got locked in the bathroom, Faramir," said Eowyn. "It happens. You got locked in the supply closet on the second week of classes, remember" said Faramir. "I am trying to forget that incident," said Eowyn. "Sorry about that" said Faramir. Aragorn rolled his eyes at their conversation. The three of them arrived at the door, and when they entered, the room was filled with colorful lights, and disco music pounded through the atmosphere. Lothiriel's disco plans seemed to be working out so far. "Hello Estel!" said Arwen as she walked up to the three of them. Aragorn kissed her and he said, "Same to you, Undomiel". "Hey, who isn't here yet?" called Eowyn. Suddenly, the rest of the hobbits, Eomer, Gimli, Arwen's brothers, and Irilia came in. "Get the ball rolling!" yelled Legolas, with his hair blond once again, as he changed the music to a rock n' roll record. The rest of the group began dancing the rock and roll, and soon there was an exhibition in the middle of the room. Aragorn and Arwen were carrying it off well, and they were wowing the group with their moves. Then, Gimli sneaked up to the makeshift DJ booth, and put "Shake Your Groove Thing" on the player.  
  
Things were going fine, until Delilah and Greg, who came in late, began insisting to play "Slave 4 U". "Gosh, who'd even think of playing that song?" Lothiriel remarked. "I would," said Delilah. "I'll get more brain damaged when I hear that" said Irilia. "Geez, what's wrong with one bad tune now and then?" asked Delilah. Much to Lothiriel's dismay, Delilah went ahead with her plans.  
  
"You said you'd give me a chance to dance with you," Greg said to Eowyn. Eowyn looked around and said "Greg, I really don't want to dance now. Besides, you danced with me two weeks ago at the other disco bash" "Why not have a second go?" asked Greg. "Because I don't want to" Eowyn retorted. "Come on, I've been waiting to take you with me on the music wave, hot chick" Greg insisted. "Just leave her alone, Greg" Faramir said. "Oh, and is Nerd Boy now playing the knight-in-shining-armor?" said Greg mockingly. "She doesn't want to, so don't push it" Faramir replied. "Watch your back, wimpoid" Greg said menacingly as he walked away. "Thanks for sticking up for me" Eowyn said. "You're welcome. So, what do you say we go and get a couple of sodas?" asked Faramir. "Sure. That is not a bad idea at all," said Eowyn as they walked together to the soda bar.  
  
"Ooh yeah! Whoo!" yelled Elrohir as he began giving his friends funky spanks and doing pelvic thrusts to the tune of "Macho Man". "Stop acting stupid, brother" said Elladan as he watched his twin. "Hey, who changed the music?" asked Sam. Nobody noticed Merry and Pippin sneaking away from the DJ booth. "Alright, what is THAT song?" asked Diamond. "It's 'Bop Bop Baby' " said Estella. "Ahhhh! Torture!" yelled Niliwen as she ran around screaming her head off. Rose and Frodo changed the CD just to stop Niliwen from screaming. "Whew! Am I glad that song is on the play list!" Rose said as she and Frodo left the booth. Then the song 'Buttercup Baby' filled the room.  
  
"Tell me I'm dreaming" said Arwen as she looked on in horror at the sight of the boys dancing to 'YMCA' a while later. "They all just had a sugar high. It will pass" said Eowyn as she sipped her soda. "Isn't that your fifth soda already?" asked Lothiriel. "Yeah, and I feel like shaking around and bouncing about!" said Eowyn. "Dear, don't get her started!" yelled Eomer. "Oh, I think I hear the curfew bell guys!" said Irilia. "And to think I was gonna get some booze" said Greg. "We'll live without it. But right now, it's past 1 in the morning" said Arwen as she looked at her watch. "Why don't we skip curfew?" asked Delilah. "Nah, I'll just turn in now. I haven't had some serious shut-eye this whole week. Good night-or should I say good morning all" said Aragorn as he and Arwen left the room.  
  
A/N: There's a nice little button down there that says "Review!" 


	5. Classes are suspended!

A/N: Well, whatcha think of the last chapter? Anyway, the disclaimer is still the same as the ones for the last few chapters. This is even weirder than the last few chapters, and though there's a DARK room involved-there is nothing sick going to happen. Have fun!  
  
Blackouts and a white kitty  
  
"Brrr! It's so cold," Eowyn said as she sat by the heater. It was already December, and though snow hadn't fallen yet, a really cold rainstorm was raging outside. "Since you're by the heater, can you turn it up?" asked Frodo. Eowyn fiddled with the thermostat and suddenly, the dial broke in her hand. "Why is this dorm so cold?" asked Aragorn as he walked into the room. "You need to put on another sweater," said Arwen. "Why is it that elves don't really suffer from cold?" asked Eowyn as she shivered. "I don't know. We're really that way" replied Arwen. "Is the heater broken, Eowyn?" asked Frodo. Aragorn glanced at the contraption and nodded his head. "At least we'll be out of here in a while and we'll be going to class" he said. "Who's still not here?" asked Eowyn. "Faramir, Eomer, Lothiriel, Niliwen, Irilia, Gimli, Legolas, and Estella are still upstairs," said Arwen. "I assume that the rest have left already," said Frodo. Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps on the stairs and the sound of coats being grabbed rang through the halls. Eowyn peeked out to see their other friends all gathered in the front hall. "Well, what took all of you so long?" she asked. "I got locked in the bathroom, Eomer's stuff fell on him, and the rest had some cramming to do" said Faramir. "You really should get that bathroom lock fixed" Eowyn said. "Let's get going. I'm freezing" Estella said. "Whose car are we taking?" asked Eomer. "My car is busted," said Legolas. "So is mine," said Eowyn. "Does that mean we have to walk?" asked Gimli nervously.  
  
"There is nothing worse than going to Professor Saruman's class first thing in the morning" remarked Niliwen as she took of her soaking wet coat and shook it all over Eowyn and Irilia. "You mean Professor Finger-nails?" Legolas said with a shudder. "Gandalf swears that his nails break nail cutters" Lothiriel whispered. They were all going to have to put up with their professors for at least two years as part of the program they signed up for-Course 6900, which allowed one to graduate in two years but the tradeoff was more work and responsibilities. . "So he's tried cutting Saruman's nails?" asked Irilia as they entered the lecture hall. "And what were you saying, Ms. Jenophet?" a creepy voice boomed from the hall. "Now you've done it!" Gimli hissed. Eowyn couldn't help but notice that Professor Saruman's nails had gotten longer. "Come in, my twelve favorite latecomers" said the wizard as he scratched the board. All the students in the room stopped their ears. It was going to be a long class.  
  
"I hated it when he dragged me across the room" said Rose as she rubbed her arm after the class. "Look, my test papers are torn up" Merry complained. "Somebody please invent a Saruman-proof nail cutter!" Pippin joked. "Well, there's no time to complain. Tom Bombadil's class is next" Eomer noted nonchalantly. Suddenly, Gandalf's voice boomed over the PA system. "Aragorn, will you please come to the Speaker Room, please?" said the wizard. "By Elbereth, what does he want me to do now?" Aragorn muttered as he left his friends. Five minutes later, Aragorn's voice came over the speakers. "Classes are suspended!" he yelled. Cheers erupted all over the hallway as Aragorn rushed back to his friends. "Yes! Now we can go back to the dorm!" Faramir said excitedly. "I thought you LIKED school" Arwen said. "Not necessarily. Even the most studious people can want a break at times" Faramir said. "Whoa, he's actually admitting he's a bit nerdy" Lothiriel laughed. "I sometimes regret signing up for Course 6900 because it means twice as much work, but at least if all goes well, we can all get out of college in two years. Now, all I want to do is get some hot chocolate" Eowyn said with a smile. "That's a good idea" Pippin noted before they stampeded out the doors of the building.  
  
"Okay, let's party!" said Legolas as he walked through the door of the dormitory "All you think about is parties. I'm going to contemplate the mysteries of life," said Elrohir. "There is one right here you can ponder. Why is ice all over the sitting room?" asked Faramir as he peeked in the door of the side room. Eowyn blushed guiltily. "I busted the heater this morning" she said sheepishly. "I'll fix the heater" Eomer volunteered. "Okay then, I'll try to help fix your bathroom door" Eowyn said before she went upstairs.  
  
Three hours later, Eomer and Lothiriel had managed to defrost the room and now the whole group was sitting in there, trying to warm up. "Okay, now let's have some fun!" Sam said happily as he turned on the radio. Suddenly, something went KZZAATT! Then, the whole room was plunged into darkness. "Great, got a light?" asked Delilah as she came in. "Maybe I have a flashlight" said Estella as she searched her bag and put out a little purple flashlight. "Good thinking" Elladan commented. Then, the light refused to work. "I think I should've changed the batteries," Estella said. "Okay, who has a candle?" Lothiriel asked. Everyone kept silent. "Do you mind if I get floating candles?" asked Eowyn. "If that's all we have" Frodo shrugged. Niliwen and Irilia went with Eowyn to get the candles.  
  
"Get that ANIMAL away from me!" Niliwen shrieked as Irilia approached her. "What? Stop freaking out Niliwen" Eowyn snapped as she emerged from her room. "It's just a cat" Irilia retorted. "What cat?" asked Eowyn. "Hey, where did it go?" asked Irilia. Eowyn felt something furry brush her leg. "Yuck, it feels wet" Eowyn said in disgust. "It's kinda cute!" Irilia squealed as she picked up the cat and they went downstairs.  
  
"I thought it was a white kitty!" Irilia complained as she stood beside the cat. Its white coat was now brown, and it was standing in a puddle. "Well, it obviously had snow on it" Lothiriel remarked. "Hey, where are Aragorn and Arwen?" asked Eowyn. "Don't tell me they're making out or something," Gimli said. "You pervert!" Arwen exclaimed. "We weren't doing anything," Aragorn said defensively. "Oh yeah, where's Delilah?" asked Eomer. "Well, I don't know. Probably getting a mini-skirt after I spilled soda on it" Diamond said. "Let's name the cat. It has to have three names so.. let's start with a common one" Niliwen said in resignation. "How about Chocolate Pudding?" asked Merry. "No, Chocolate Pie" said Rose. "That's fine" said Eowyn. "We should call it something dignified" said Arwen. "Don't call it after my ancestors" Aragorn laughed. "How about Sir Cantaloupe?" asked Elladan. "Nah, it sounds stupid. What about Sir Bottlebrush?" Faramir suggested. "That's a hoot. Okay, so Sir Bottlebrush it is" Eomer said. "What about its third name?" asked Lothiriel. "Only he knows. He's not gonna tell anyone" said Irilia. "Aw, shucks. I'm bored. Let's make pizza" said Merry. "We don't have electricity!" Diamond said. "Let's just tell ghost stories" Faramir said.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Eowyn's spine shivered with a delicious horror as Elrohir began telling another ghost story. Suddenly, the door swung open. "Was that me or did someone enter?" asked Niliwen creepily. "Well hello cuties!" a voice said and a whitish face appeared over the candlelight. The whole group screamed and suddenly the figure laughed. "Don't you know what a beauty mask is?" asked Delilah. "Well ,we were telling ghost stories. Wanna join?" asked Eowyn. "Nope" said Delilah as she turned away. "Rats, now where were we?" asked Elladan.  
  
A/N: Funny? Okay, if it wasn't don't flame me too badly. I WILL have a Christmas caper-it's only September but some people in my place start preparing for Christmas as early as now. Oh well, see ya, and don't forget, the review button does not bite! 


	6. A Different Winter

A/N: Finally, I'm getting to the plot. Sorry it took so long-I got carried away by the humor, so here's the first bit of real romance. Oh yeah, the concept of naming Sir Bottlebrush with 3 names came from T.S Elliot's poem "The Naming of Cats". Since that chapter is done well, read this. The disclaimer is still the same-all belong to Tolkien except for my original characters. This part is a bit serious, but enjoy!  
  
  
  
A Different Winter  
  
"So, where are you going to spend the holidays, Eowyn?" Faramir asked her as they were both perched on a low wall in the campus. It was later in December, and the days had gotten colder, so they were both bundled up in sweaters, scarves and mittens. In two days, the students would be allowed to leave for their between-term breaks. Eowyn sighed and she put down her guitar. "I guess I'll be spending the time here in school. I have no real home to go back to. How about you?" she said cheerfully, but a note of sadness was in her voice. "I'll be going with my cousin Lothiriel to Dol Amroth" Faramir said as he ran his finger across Eowyn's cheek, as if to wipe off the tears that had suddenly wet her face. "It's going to be lonesome here without you" Eowyn said as she wiped her handkerchief across her face. "If only I could stay with you. But my uncle wants to see me" Faramir said as they both got off the wall. "Thanks for the offer, but I'll be alright-I'll live. Have a good time, Faramir" Eowyn said as she walked in the opposite direction from where Faramir was going.  
  
"You're serious? Your father is allowing us to have two friends over?!" Faramir asked Lothiriel as they met outside the supply kiosk. "I can't believe he's finally loosening up. It's gonna be groovy-if you choose the right people" Lothiriel said. "You're allowing me to choose?" Faramir asked, and he was really getting bewildered. "Oh yeah. Your picks" Lothiriel replied. "Very well then, I'm bringing my best friend" Faramir said. "You're taking Eowyn? That means we have to bring Eomer along" Lothiriel noted seriously. "I want to do them a good turn. I mean. Aragorn is going to Rivendell with Arwen, the rest all have folks to hang on to, and what about them? Get my point?" Faramir said. "Oh alright. I'll give, considering that Eowyn means so much to you" Lothiiriel said in utter resignation.  
  
"Really? You guys are actually inviting Eomer and me over?" Eowyn said in disbelief after Faramir caught up with her an hour later. "Yes, actually I am inviting you. Lothiriel just gave her consent" Faramir replied. "Why us?" Eowyn asked. "If there is one person I would want to spend two weeks with, it would be you. So what do you say, Eowyn?" "Faramir, I wouldn't miss it for the world" Eowyn said happily.  
  
Two days later, the dawn saw the sight of four teenagers putting duffel bags into Eowyn's car. "Well, now we can go. Are you sure about this?" Eowyn said as she loaded the last of the bags into the trunk. "What's a good winter without having some good friends around?" Faramir said and he shot a wink at Eowyn. "Oh, he just thought he was going to get bored.hey, I'm only kidding!" Lothiriel exclaimed. "You don't shut up, do you?" Eomer said teasingly as he began to tickle Lothiriel. 'Cut it out you two. I want to get to Rivendell by tonight, so get in the car" Eowyn snapped as she got into the passenger side of the car and Faramir got into the driver's seat. Eomer and Lothiriel had no choice but to hop in.  
  
Four days later, the four travelers had reached the outskirts of Dol Amroth, after a rather uneventful journey. After they'd been welcomed by Lothiriel's father Prince Imrahil, they had scattered off to explore the place. Eowyn found herself on a secluded balcony overlooking the Sea. The wind ruffled her blond hair as she stood looking out over the sunlit view of the clear blue sky and the crystal clear waves crashing against the shore. Suddenly, she heard a footstep in the passage behind her.  
  
"Faramir! Don't go scaring me like that!" Eowyn exclaimed as she saw him behind her. "I'm sorry Eowyn. I've been looking all over for you" Faramir said apologetically. "Well, I'm glad you invited me here. This place is lovely. I can see why your mother loved to stay here" Eowyn remarked. Faramir looked out over the Sea pensively and Eowyn sensed that he was troubled. 'It's been my first time to come here since my father and my brother died" Faramir said quietly. "I see. I know it hurts to be alone" Eowyn said. "I'm not alone now" Faramir told her and he looked into her eyes. "Do you ever wonder what they.our loved ones are thinking of us right now?" Eowyn asked. "Not really. Why do you ask?" Faramir said. "I don't know. Sometimes, I wonder if mine think well of the choices I made" Eowyn mused. Faramir knew that she wasn't just thinking of her brother, she also thought of her dead uncle. "I'm sure that they're proud of you, Eowyn. What's there not to be proud of about you?" Faramir said, and he meant the compliment. Eowyn smiled and said in reply "I should say the same about you too".  
  
"He loves her, doesn't he?" Imrahil asked Lothiriel as father and daughter watched Faramir and Eowyn chatting by the shore the next morning. "He's always been very fond of her. But if he loves her, he hasn't openly said it" Lothiriel noted. "Well, he can't hide it for long. Eowyn is on a brink now if you ask me" Eomer said as he joined them. "Would it be nice if she fell in love with him?" Imrahil asked. "Daddy! Stop being so cheesy!" Lothiriel hissed. Faramir and Eowyn turned and saw the three of them at the door to the shore. "Well, that means we're busted" Eomer mumbled. "What are you all doing there?" Faramir asked in astonishment. "Looking" Eomer squeaked before Lothiriel kicked his shin. "Come out in the sunlight. It's a wonderful day" Eowyn said. "Great Lothiriel, now we're busted-by your cousin!" Imrahil whispered to his daughter.  
  
Later, Faramir sneaked up to the roof of one of the turrets in Dol Amroth. As a boy, he would try to climb up here and watch the stars. Usually, this dreamy enterprise was carried out alone, and if he was discovered, he earned a good scolding from his father. But now, his forced secrecy was no more, for now some light footsteps came towards him. 'The stars are lovely tonight, aren't they?" Eowyn said as she sat down beside him. "They always are, but they're nothing compared to your smile" Faramir said. "You know better. Tell me more about the stars, but please stop comparing them to me!" Eowyn laughed as she held his arm gently. Faramir began telling her a bit about the stars and the legends surrounding them. Finally, they both fell silent and Eowyn talked a bit about the songs of Rohan, and a silence fell on them again. Faramir finally spoke and broke the stillness. "Sometimes, do you wonder if there will be someone who will truly understand you?" he asked. "You mean like a soulmate?" Eowyn said. "Maybe. I believe that most people do have someone who will truly care" Faramir replied. "Sometimes, I think nobody will ever understand. But there are times where I think it's possible I'm the missing half of the locket-I mean one out of two of a kind" Eowyn mused. "When do you feel that way?" Faramir asked curiously as their eyes met. To him, she was less of a puzzle, but times like these came when he'd come upon a mystery like this. She smiled sweetly as she ran a hand through his dark hair and said "Whenever I feel truly at home with my brother and my friends, and most especially, when I am with you. You have a special place in my heart, Faramir". Faramir smiled at Eowyn and took her hand in his. "And you are the closest and dearest to me" he whispered to her. Eowyn hugged him warmly and she sat closer to him, partly to get out of the cold and also because she felt so comfortable around him. "We really should go stargazing more often" Eowyn said. "Next time, I'll bring some hot chocolate and blankets" Faramir said. Suddenly, someone yelled from below. "Can you leave the romancing until tomorrow, Faramir?" Lothiriel yelled from below. "I guess we should go to sleep now. Good night. I really can't wait till morning," Eowyn remarked as they left the rooftop and went into the hallway via the balcony. She was down on the ground but she felt like she was floating on the skies. "Sleep well. I'll see you tomorrow" Faramir said and he kissed her cheek before they parted.until the morning.  
  
A/N: Okay, this enough to begin with? It will get better in the next chapter. I might be delayed in posting Chapter 7 since my computer time will be limited until around the 29th. Until then, or the next chappie, peace! Send a review please! 


	7. Back to Reality

A/N: Hey! I'm back-a lot earlier than expected. So enjoy this chapter. I still don't own anything, and the line about "the missing half of the locket" came from "Annie". Well, so enjoy, send a review and that's all I ask.  
  
Back to Reality  
  
Eowyn slammed her Literature textbook shut and held her head in her hands in frustration. She'd come out to the low wall, her quiet spot, to study for her Literature test on this lunchtime on Tuesday, and so far she had little success. "What nice timing Gandalf had! He gives tells us about this test the day after the break ends, and it's covering five long chapters" she muttered to herself as she kicked her legs against the wall. "Eowyn! Don't you think you should be coming in now? It's going to get colder" Arwen called from the path near the wall. "I'll be right in" Eowyn replied as she got her things and trudged towards Arwen. "Still struggling over the Lit?" asked Arwen. "Don't ask" Eowyn said bitterly as she walked. "Geez, you don't have to be so sore" Arwen retorted. "Sorry" Eowyn shot back as she continued to the Lecture Hall.  
  
"I really hate Gym class" Niliwen complained as she threw her gym bag on the floor of the front hall of the dormitory later that afternoon. "Well, at least you aren't on the verge of flunking Literature class. That Sindarin kills me" Eowyn said. "Doesn't Faramir know some Sindarin?" Eomer asked from the stairwell. "I haven't seen him the whole day. Goodness knows where he is!" Eowyn said as she threw up her hands in despair. Just then, Faramir entered the dormitory building. "What's wrong?" Eowyn asked when she noticed the worried expression on his face. "Don't ask. I have to study for that Math 101 test" Faramir mumbled as he walked upstairs. "Maybe Eowyn can help. She's a Math whiz, remember?" Niliwen suggested. "Come on, I just happened to get a few good grades, but if you want to, I can help you out" Eowyn shrugged. "Are you still having trouble over Literature?" Faramir asked cautiously. Eowyn nodded her head and at the same time, flipped her pen across the table in boredom. "I think that means a 'yes'" Eomer commented. "Why don't we meet for lunch tomorrow?" Eowyn asked. "Sounds like a good idea" Faramir replied.  
  
" Can anyone ever understand these equations without having to have someone explain them ten times?" Faramir wondered aloud the next day after Eowyn's explanation of the lesson. "I can. It's just a matter of getting it nicely into your head. I know you're not stupid, but I think Professor Saruman is a rotten teacher" Eowyn said cheerfully before she took another bite of her sandwich. "It amazes me how you can get such high grades in Math, and you still manage to play your guitar, hang out and have fun" Faramir said. "I still wonder how you can understand all that Sindarin and other languages, and yet you never get low grades, and you're doing a great job learning Rohirric" Eowyn commented. "I wish I could say the same about Mathematics. Now how about we begin working on that Literature?" Faramir asked as he opened a textbook. "You just love getting straight to the point, do you?" Eowyn teased affectionately before they began reviewing.  
  
"That was an easy thing to teach Niliwen a few basketball moves" Eowyn mumbled after she took a sip of the herbal tea that Aragorn had brewed to relieve the whole group of the headaches caused by their studying. It was 9:00 in the evening, and most of them were cramming for the tests. "Dang the #$*@ # book! Should've studied earlier" Niliwen swore under her breath. "This tea is quite spicy. What did you and Arwen put in it?" Eomer asked. Arwen proceeded to rattle off a substantial list of herbs, but she didn't mention athelas. "You didn't put athelas in this thing?" Faramir asked. "We couldn't find any" Aragorn said sheepishly. "How much chamomile is in here?" Irilia asked sleepily. "Not much, but just enough to calm Pippin down" Merry noted. "Well, I knew that you shouldn't have drunk that pain killer a while ago" Gimli said. "I had a splitting headache, okay?" Irilia shrieked. "Calm down. How are we supposed to pass tomorrow's test?" Lothiriel asked. "Okay, let's stop asking that. Just get studying" Faramir muttered.  
  
The next morning, Delilah Morgan was caught cheating on her test. Which wasn't surprising since nobody had ever seen her studying. Everyone was nervous, so even before the test began, there were bitten pencils all over the floor. Saruman and Gandalf checked the papers quickly, and by sundown, the results were out.  
  
"Paintball time!" Lothiriel yelled as she threw a paint filled balloon at Eomer. The group was hanging out at the paintball course that evening, and they were having a blast throwing paint balloons at each other. Suddenly, a pink snowball landed on Lothiriel's hair. "Who threw that?" Lothiriel asked as she readied another paintball. From behind a bush, Pippin and Diamond's shrieks of laughter could be heard. Lothiriel promptly tossed a ball in that direction, only to be plastered by a giant one that Niliwen and Irilia had pushed off a tree.  
  
"Thanks for the help. What did you get on the Math test?" Eowyn asked Faramir as they planned an ambush behind a snow-covered hedge. "I got 98% correct. How about you?" Faramir replied. "I got that, and I managed to bag a 99 on the Literature test!" Eowyn said gleefully. "That's a good thing. At least our academic problems are over" Faramir said as he and Eowyn clasped hands. "I learned two things. Number one, cramming is bad. Number two, it's good to have a study buddy," Eowyn said. "I know. Ssshh, I hear someone coming!" Faramir hissed. "Come on you two, I know you're in there!" Frodo yelled as he walked by. 'Well, now it's our turn to get busted" Eowyn muttered as she threw a paintball over the hedge. "Thank you for helping me out. You know, sometimes I think we're two sides of a coin. We're different in some ways, but we can make the picture whole" Faramir mused. "Well, did you ever see a one-sided coin?" Eowyn asked before they got up and left the bush, hand in hand.  
  
A/N: Okay, this might not have been too good. Next time, it will be a Valentine's Day Chapter. Should be good, I hope. Well, send me CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK, and maybe some suggestions on the next chapter if you're up to it. I might update soon again, so keep your fingers crossed. 


	8. Roses are red

A/N: I'm back! Not even my tests can keep me away from concocting the dialogues for this chapter. Well, have fun because it's Valentine's Day in the story. If the last chapter sucked, well I meant to show that life isn't always a bed of roses. And in real life, I'm as athletically disadvantaged as Niliwen, so don't think that Niliwen is perfect. I also swear, and I will still swear in this fic. Oh yeah, I hope you liked the peer tutoring thing-it really works. Also, I read somewhere that chamomile is a good tea. If the poetry in the later parts is lame-don't flame me. This chapter is going to be longer, for a change. Anyway, I still don't own anything, not even the songs. Oh yeah, I own my own characters and the bits of poetry. Enjoy!  
  
Love is out for keeps  
  
"Well, it's Valentine's day. Not much of a difference to me" Niliwen thought aloud in the Locker Central as she got her things. She, along with Eowyn and Delilah had come to get their things for the day. "Something smells good around my locker" Eowyn noted as she twirled the dial of her padlock. Eowyn was surprised, and happy to see red roses in her locker as she opened it. Then she noticed something glittering in the locker. "Whoa, who could have put all those roses in there?" Niliwen asked. Eowyn reached into her locker and her hand came out clutching a necklace of gold chain, with a heart-shaped pendant with her name engraved in it. "I know Faramir left these in here. He's the only other person aside from me who knows my locker combination. Besides, he left a note" Eowyn said happily as she put on the necklace. "What's the big deal with that? Look what I have: a silk mini skirt, a diamond set of earrings, some dinky cards and a lot of stupid flowers. Undoubtedly left by my fan club" Delilah said sassily. Eowyn and Niliwen rolled their eyes. Delilah gave her locker combination to ANYONE who was cute. "I got zilch, but I don't give a toot about it " Niliwen said. "I'm going to go to Lit class in a while. See you there!" Eowyn said as she picked up her books and left the room.  
  
"Damn, are you sure that the stench is coming from my locker?" Greg asked as he threw his gym bag on the chair. "Yes, and I'm sure that the stench is from that ratty basketball of yours" Frodo said as he opened his own locker- which had cobwebs. "Well, look who's talking" Faramir laughed as he opened his own locker. 'Is it me or is that a jacket I see hanging in the locker?" Frodo asked as he strained his eyes because he could only see the jacket's outline in the darkness. "In that case, it must be my locker" Greg butted in. "I don't think so. This locker has that red marker stain I put on mine last week" Faramir retorted. "Yeah, but who would leave something for you in there?" Greg sneered. "Guys, let's just settle this. We'll see who can name the stuff in there aside from the jacket" Frodo insisted. Faramir rattled off all the books and papers in there. Greg couldn't get anything right. "That concludes that this belongs to Faramir. Let's see where does this jacket hail from" Frodo concluded. Faramir reached in and pulled out a small box of chocolate and a nicely knitted dark blue jacket. "Of course, Eowyn made this. She even left a funny note in the pocket" Faramir noted before he tried on the jacket. "Gosh, why she'd even bother with you?" Greg groaned. "Because she loves him?" Frodo quipped before Greg bopped him with the reeking basketball.  
  
"Faramir!" Professor Gandalf bellowed at his pet student later at Literature class. Faramir looked up from the piece of paper he was reading. "Yes sir?" Faramir asked innocently. "I told you three times to read your poem! I don't care how crazy it is, so don't give me that insanity approach you gave us all last week" Gandalf boomed. "I was on a sugar high" Faramir muttered as he stepped up to the front. Eowyn gave him the thumbs-up sign as he passed by. She smiled when she noticed that he was wearing the jacket that she'd made. After all, she knew his locker combination too.  
  
"Whenever you speak to me, your voice is sweet bells to my ears" Faramir began. Eomer and Lothiriel suppressed their chuckles, since they knew Faramir was talking about Eowyn. Eowyn on the other hand was quite touched but she could hear Delilah seething behind her. Greg was breaking his pencils as he listened to Faramir's recitation. Aragorn and Arwen just sat back watching the scenario with amusement. They were taking the whole day on videotape. "And I always will hold you dear, my lady, the sunshine of my life" Faramir concluded before he scurried back to his seat. "Well..that was interesting. Who is this lady" began Gandalf before the bell rang, saving Faramir and Eowyn the trouble of explaining the whole situation.  
  
"Well, it was very brave of you not to back down. I liked the poem. You are so sweet" Eowyn laughed as Faramir helped her carry some art supplies. "Where are we going?" Faramir questioned. "The wall" Eowyn said. "Why do you like hanging out on that wall, of all places?" Faramir asked. "It's quiet there" Eowyn replied. "Not for long. Looks like our trusty pals have come too" Faramir noted as they approached the low wall. The hobbits were all sitting there, eating cream puffs. "Hi you two!" Pippin greeted when he saw them approach. "Good morning. What have you people been up to?" Eowyn asked as she started her sketching. "Nothing much" Merry said. "Did you know that it's request hour on the campus radio?" asked Estella. "Yeah, and Eomer and Lothiriel are the DJs" Sam said. "Did you request for a song, Eowyn?" Diamond asked. "I did. It should be playing now" Eowyn noted. "Of all songs, you had to pick 'Someday We'll Know'?" Rose asked as she heard the intro. "I also like it" Faramir spoke up, and they could hear the song playing over the speakers. "'Someday we'll know if love can move a mountain''" Eowyn sang to herself softly. "You didn't dedicate it to anyone, did you?" Frodo asked. Eowyn said mischievously "I dedicated it". The hobbits started cracking up, and singing along eventually. Faramir also couldn't help but hum to the beat. Everyone knew to whom the song was dedicated to by now. "Well, watch the fools fall in love" Frodo joked.  
  
"I still can't find that Math book" Faramir told Eowyn as they walked across the park in the university later that afternoon. "Where did you leave it? It's been missing for a week" Eowyn said. "I remember leaving it on a bench, and when I came back for it, it was gone" Faramir remarked. "I bet you couldn't find it in the lost and found cabinets" Eowyn joked. Suddenly, a breeze blew away her scarf and it landed in a bush. Eowyn grabbed her scarf and she saw something in the brush. She parted the foliage and much to her amusement, the notorious Math 101 book was lying on the ground. "Look what I found. Apparently, some cat or dog brought it here" Eowyn remarked as she brushed the snow and mud off the cover. "Thanks for finding it. I was starting to think of faking sick until I got a new book," Faramir said as Eowyn handed him the book and he put it in his jacket pocket. They walked hand in hand in silence until they reached the outskirts of the university. Then, they stopped after they had walked up a small hill, with a perfect view of the mountains to the North-West, the Shire to the East, and from the distance if one had clear eyes, the Misty Mountains. Eowyn had purposefully led Faramir here, because she wanted him to see one of the best views in this side of Eriador. She often liked to come to this spot to be alone, but now was the first time she'd taken a companion with her. "Now you know why I come out here so often," she said. Faramir looked at her and held her hand. "Eowyn, will you go out to dinner with me later?" Faramir asked. Eowyn smiled at him, and a look of wonder crossed her face. "You're asking me out?" she said in astonishment. "You might call it that. After all it's Valentine's Day" Faramir said. "Sure. So what time will we meet?" Eowyn said happily.  
  
Later that day, Eowyn ran about her dormitory room looking for her shoes, while Arwen and Lothiriel looked on the scene. "Aren't you going to put on make-up Eowyn?" Lothiriel asked. "No. We're just going to go to dinner, and I don't wear make-up" Eowyn said as she put on her white shoes. "I'm going to help Eomer out in the Valentine's Day disco party, so I'm wearing some glitter. Where are you going, Arwen?" Lothiriel asked. "Aragorn and I will drop by the film center for a while, and he's going to cook dinner. I hope what I'm wearing looks okay" Arwen replied as she smoothed down her pink blouse and her white skirt. "You look fine. It brings out your eyes. Are any of you going to go to the disco? It's going to be a blast!" Lothiriel said. "Maybe we'll drop by. So, how do I look?" Eowyn asked as she fixed her red dress. "Fine. Why do you like wearing red? If it's not red, it's either white or green" Arwen asked. "I also wear other colors" Eowyn muttered as she brushed her hair.  
  
"Are you sure about the parfait, Eowyn?" Faramir asked when they were about to get dessert later that evening. "Don't worry, I'll still fit in my dress" Eowyn teased. "No, what I mean is if you'll be able to finish the whole thing. I know some people who got indigestion after eating a parfait" Faramir said. "That was because Niliwen, Irilia, and the elves had some ice cream earlier that day" Eowyn retorted. "Whatever you say" Faramir shrugged.  
  
After dropping by the disco for a short time, Faramir and Eowyn ended up stargazing on the dormitory roof. Most of their friends were still out at the disco, so nobody disturbed them up on the roof. "Want some more hot chocolate?" Eowyn asked Faramir after she put down her star chart. "Yes please. How about you?" Faramir replied as Eowyn passed him the flask. "No thanks. I really had too much chocolate for a day" Eowyn said as she looked back up at the clear night sky. "I warned you about the parfait" Faramir joked as Eowyn inched a bit closer to him. "Well, you were right this time" Eowyn said as she smiled up at him. "Thanks for everything today" Faramir said. "Thank you too. I'm glad you're always there for me," Eowyn said. "Do you remember when you asked me about what your loved ones thought of you, and I said that there is nothing about you to be ashamed of?" Faramir asked. "I'm surprised you remembered that. Sometimes I can't believe you said that" Eowyn laughed. "I said that because you're not just my best friend" Faramir said. Thoughts were swirling in his mind. "Should I tell her?" he thought. "You're softening me up. Please, tell me what's really going on," Eowyn said. In her mind, she knew that Faramir had something very important to tell her. "I love you Eowyn" he said softly. "I'm glad I don't have to pick a thousand petals just to reassure myself. After all I've been through with you, I realized one thing. I love you too, Faramir" Eowyn said. "Eowyn, I knew that you loved me even before the day that we met again underneath the sunset" Faramir said as Eowyn snuggled closer to him and held his hand. "For some reason, I never knew what was really between us. Maybe I was blind, but you helped me see" Eowyn whispered. "I just needed to give you some time. I believed that someday, you would understand. Faramir said before he kissed her. Eowyn pulled away after what seemed to be forever. They sat back for a while in silence, just enjoying each other's company. After a while they could hear the disco party letting out, and they knew it was getting late. "I'll see you in the morning then" Faramir told Eowyn as he helped her get back through the hallway window. "Of course. Good night my love. Happy Valentine's Day" Eowyn said before she gave Faramir a quick good-night kiss and went off to her room.  
  
A/N: Okay, that's over with. Well, if this sucked, don't flame me too badly. I need constructive criticism, my teachers are bad enough. Oh well, I'll be writing a drama class chapter next, and it might take some time until it comes-but it won't come as late as the 29th, I promise. It might come next week. Send a review please! 


	9. The Thespians

A/N: Yay! I'm back! Okay, this is gonna be hilarious (as always, I hope). Anyway, I will still work on this fic-even though I'm working on another. So, have fun! I really don't own anything except for my original characters, the play script and the cold spaghetti sauce. This is going to be longer than usual and maybe a bit angsty since the timeline of the rehearsals coincides with the anniversary of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. Enjoy yourself.and review, like always.  
  
The Thespians  
  
"I can't believe we're actually skipping drama class," Elrohir chortled as he plopped down on the bleacher. "Sshh! If you keep on yammering, we're going to get busted!" Merry hissed as he poked the elf in the ribs. Elrohir muttered something about killjoy hobbits as he watched the other boys chat among themselves as they hung out at the bleachers the Monday after Valentine's Day. "What's that you're eating, Eomer?" Pippin asked as he watched his friend gobble up something in a lunch container. "Cold spaghetti sauce" Eomer mumbled from his mouthful of food. "Wasn't that the sauce from the spaghetti that Arwen made for Aragorn last Wednesday?" Elladan asked. "Gross" Sam remarked. "The sauce was good.as of last Saturday" Frodo said. "So that's why half the sauce was gone come Saturday night!" Aragorn exclaimed. "Hey Faramir! Here comes your girlfriend" Legolas called as he caught sight of Eowyn coming towards the bleacher. "By Durin! Does she have to be the only girl who can crash a guy's hang-out?" Gimli exclaimed. "Shut up. It's actually pretty cool you know" Eomer mused. "Well, that means that Arwen and Lothiriel aren't far behind" Aragorn noted. "Hi guys! What's up, dear?" Eowyn said as she joined the group and before Faramir gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Nothing much. Aren't you supposed to be in Drama Class?" Faramir asked. "How about you? Actually, Diamond sent me to.hey where did everyone go?" Eowyn asked. Faramir looked back only to see that the boys had all run for cover at the mention of "Drama Class". "Oh, that. Listen since you got me, can I have fifteen minutes to catch those runaway thespians?" Faramir replied. "I'll help you. That's why Diamond gave me this" Eowyn said as she pulled a lasso from her backpack.  
  
"Just our luck that she had to show up" Legolas hissed after Niliwen and Irilia had helped Eowyn drag him into the auditorium. "Alright, places all of you!" a female voice bellowed from the front. Legolas looked and to his surprise, realized that the voice came from Diamond the hobbit. "By the Valar! That girl can shout" Greg muttered before Delilah stepped on his toe with her stiletto heels. "Shut up. She's losing her cool" Estella said icily. "Great, like we didn't know that" Niliwen shot back. "Okay people, I'm going to be the director for the New Year's play-and Rose is writing the script, so listen up!" Diamond screeched. "Oh great. She's going to pop a vessel" Arwen said as she rolled her gray eyes. "So, this year's play is called "From Opposite Ends of the Earth", and it so happens that we were picked to do it "Rose began after she went to the front of the group. "By Elbereth, this better not be one of Rose's tirades about the difference between males and females" Lothiriel said. "No, Lothiriel. I heard that. It's a bit of a comedy, to be exact" Rose reassured the group. "About the teachers?" Irilia asked wickedly. 'A bit. So, it's gonna be something where we're going to be doing slapstick. It's about two people named Miridim the scholar and Janiwel the peasant who meet one day on the ridge and Janiwel introduces Miridim to the townspeople, and the people react in many amusing ways to Miridim's ideas. That's the gist of the thing. So, Diamond and I need a guy and a girl to play the leads" Rose said. "How about Aragorn and Arwen?" suggested Eowyn. "How about you and.Faramir?" Pippin said. "I have yet to try acting" Faramir retorted. "Well, it never hurt to try. Let's just get the fricking audition over with" Niliwen suggested.  
  
"Oh you were hilarious back there! Did you see how Eomer and I almost got gas pains laughing?" Eowyn giggled as she and Faramir left the audition. "The fact that I was funny is not good because I got the part of the lead: Miridim the scholar," Faramir said. "Funny thing is that only ten of us get to have a part on stage. Rose and Diamond are doing backstage work," Eowyn said. "So Aragorn, Elrohir, Irilia, Estella, Delilah, Greg, Frodo, Sam, and the two of us are acting?" Faramir clarified. "Of course. I don't want to put off practicing till tomorrow, so do you want to practice together?" she asked. "Well, since we'll be doing a lot of scenes together, considering you got the part of Janiwel the peasant, why not?" he replied.  
  
"I thought you two practiced yesterday! Or did you find a potion for amnesia?" Diamond screamed at Faramir and Eowyn the next day at after- school practice. "Do you expect us to memorize all this in one night?" Eowyn retorted hotly. "Cool it, my love. It's just a mistake. You'll get all the lines right soon" Faramir whispered into Eowyn's ear as he put a firm, but gentle hand on her arm. Eowyn took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "We have only a month to get this right, and there's a lot of choreography, so can you two get serious?" Rose said sternly. "OUCH!" a sharp cry came from the back of the room. The four of them went to look, only to find Aragorn and Arwen sprawled on the floor in a heap. "We slipped. The snow was too wet" Aragorn said as he helped Arwen get into a sitting position. The elf clenched her teeth tightly as she tried to straighten her leg. "I think my ankle is sprained" Arwen whispered as she pointed to her left foot. "Great, so we have two idiots here who can't remember their lines, an injured cast member and short time! What's next?" Diamond said as she threw her clearbook in the air in frustration. "Keep your hat on. I'll go help Arwen. She'll probably be fine by next week" Aragorn said as he helped Arwen onto a chair and went to get an icebag. Arwen caught the clearbook and handed it to Rose. "Come on, I'll recover. Now, until what scene did you two get to?" Arwen said calmly. "The umm, third scene-the one where Miridim the scholar and Janiwel the peasant meet on the ridge" Eowyn replied sheepishly. "Alright, so can you two repeat the scene, and I'll give my suggestions" Arwen said. "But you're also in this scene!" Faramir protested. "No, do only the first half. I can't act now but I can critique" Arwen said to him nonchalantly. Faramir rolled his eyes and began reading out his lines.  
  
"I don't understand why I can't wear my micro-miniskirt in that scene!" Delilah whined to Irilia and Diamond two weeks later into the rehearsals. Now the costumes were being fitted out, since some of them had to be made from scratch, and the play was to be performed on the 25th of March (and today was Aragorn's birthday, March 1). "It's not matching with the theme, get it?" Irilia said icily as she pulled the costume white robe over a squirming Delilah. "She doesn't look so bad. She actually looks like a virgin!" Diamond joked. "What?!" Delilah screeched as she began throwing her stiletto heels at the two crew members, who promptly crawled towards the door. "What's going on?" Eowyn asked as she and Faramir met Irilia and Diamond outside the door "Just an insane raving from the only red-headed Dunlending in existence" Irilia said. "Oh, okay" Faramir muttered. "I declare the costume room a hazard zone for the next.eight hours" Diamond said as she locked the door. "So what about your costumes?" Irilia asked. "Mine doesn't fit" Eowyn replied as she handed a garment bag to Irilia. "Oops, I think I got it mixed up with Arwen's costume" Irilia said sheepishly. "No wonder why I thought the dress didn't seem to match you, but SHE insisted that it was the right one" Diamond said.  
  
"Happy birthday Estel!" Arwen greeted her fiancé as she presented him with a homemade birthday cake. "Thanks Arwen. So, what do you plan on doing after the rehearsal from Mordor?" Aragorn asked Arwen. "I don't know. I'll treat you out to dinner" Arwen said. "You two! Come on, you're late for your cue!" Eomer yelled from the backstage. The gang was now rehearsing scene number eight today, and they had come this far after a lot of bribery, pleading, and a whole lot of laughter. But so far, the going was good, until now. Aragorn half-dragged Arwen to the wings, where they both made another clumsy entrance stepping on each other's toes and nearly tripping just before they came in sight of the audience. Eowyn at once began to stifle her giggles when she saw them enter in such an undignified manner. Diamond shot a warning look at Eowyn, who promptly put on a straight face. " 'Now it is time that we met. Miridim, what did you have to tell them' " Eowyn said, as she tried to remember the line that was assigned to her. Then there was utter silence. "Faramir! It's your cue!" Rose hissed. "Oops. 'First things first, my friends.' " Faramir began before something furry landed on his head. "Sir Bottlebrush! Get off the set this instant!" Irilia screeched from the backstage as she ran to remove her cat. "AAHHH! Cut! Back to the beginning!" Diamond yelled.  
  
The next day, the group met again to rehearse the latter parts of the play. Now, Eowyn, Faramir, Aragorn, Arwen, and Frodo were on stage, rehearsing the tenth scene out of twelve. It was now their tenth take. "Is it me, or is someone snoring somewhere?" Eowyn asked aloud, interrupting the pause that was supposed to come at this scene. "Aaaggh! Can't any of you keep your mouths shut?" Lothiriel yelled. Suddenly, a CRASH came from the back of the stage. Eowyn turned to see Niliwen, sitting by a prop that had obviously been knocked over. "Oh, sorry" Niliwen said as she straightened up the papier-mache statue. "Hey, what's Elladan doing here?" asked Frodo as he looked towards the wings. "He's sleepwalking again!" Arwen groaned as she caught sight of her brother. "And it looks like Pippin decided to take a catnap on the set" Faramir noted as he caught sight of his hobbit friend dozing on a wooden bench at the back of the stage. "Great. Take eleven!" Rose yelled.  
  
Nearly two weeks later, on March 15, there were only ten days to go before the performance. By now, Diamond and Rose were expected to be thoroughly exasperated with the cast's mess-ups, but on the contrary it heartened the two hobbits to see that the cast was improving on their performance, despite the occasional goof-ups that either Frodo or Sam committed every so often. Today being the anniversary of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, some of the backstage crew namely Niliwen, Irilia, Delilah, Greg, Rose, Estella, Diamond and Lothiriel, wondered if their friends who were actively involved in the previous year's battle would experience anniversary flashbacks. Surprisingly, the rehearsal went along nicely, without any hint of depression to mar the play's hilarious mood. But their perception that anniversary flashbacks are a myth was wrong. Some people did wish that the memories of that day had gone away.  
  
On this day, Eowyn found herself walking alone after rehearsals, thinking about what had passed since that fateful day that had helped her become the girl she was now. She seemed to be a far cry from the desperate, but brave woman who had gone seeking death, but did not find it. "Life is so different now. I still have a lot to live for," Eowyn thought as she walked through the campus. She found Faramir, reading by himself on the low wall where they often hung out. "Hi" she said quietly as she sat down beside him and held his hand. She knew what was on his mind. Just like her, he'd almost died too on this day. "I'm surprised you aren't feeling low on this day" Faramir said. "I don't know why I'm not. But I see that you are. I know you wish your father and your brother were around" Eowyn said. "Don't you ever miss your uncle or your parents?" Faramir asked. "Sometimes. It's unavoidable. If you need me, I'll be here" Eowyn said. "I know. I'm glad you are. Sometimes, I wonder what drove my father to be so desperate" Faramir mused as he closed his book. "Grief, hopelessness and a sense of failure. I know because I also went through that too" Eowyn replied as she pushed some stray hair back from his face. "That's a bit hard to believe, since you're a breath of fresh air in everyone around you" Faramir said, with a bit of a smile on his face as he could feel his troubles vanishing. The grief was natural, but Eowyn was showing him that there was a light beyond the nightmares of anniversary flashbacks. "You and I still have a lot to do. Yes, I also have flashbacks, but I remember what all of it led to. All that led me to you, Faramir!" Eowyn whispered. "Come to think of it, if we hadn't both been in danger on that day, we may never have met" Faramir said. "Well, we still might have, but I seriously think that things would have been.different" Eowyn said. "I've got a lot to be thankful for. But most of all, I'm thankful for you, Eowyn. You have made all the difference in my life" Faramir said. "So have you" Eowyn said before she kissed him.  
  
More practices, threats, bloopers, jokes, explosive outbursts and bouts of insanity later, the day of the play had arrived. And now, the group was busy getting the last minute touches done before the big night. "Review the script!" Arwen said frantically as she searched her bag. "Don't sweat it, dear. You'll just pass out or get sick out of nerves," Aragorn said coolly as he adjusted his costume. "Come on, it's time to get into the wings. Good luck folks" Lothiriel said before she and Eomer hurried to the sound booth. Pippin and Merry were ready with the prop chest, while Estella and Irilia fixed the costumes. The ten thespians hurried to the wings. "Okay, it's show time. You can do it" Eowyn told Faramir just before the curtain was raised. "It's time for the stars to glow tonight. You'll glow the brightest," Faramir said. Eowyn smiled just before the opening bars of the music played. This night would be a nerve-wracking but memorable one.  
  
"We did it!" Lothiriel said enthusiastically as she descended from the sound booth hours later to join the cast party. "That was fun. So, what do you guys think of drama class?" Rose asked. "It's okay. We owe you an apology, Diamond" Pippin said. "It's alright, but now I have to get lozenges" Diamond said. "Come on, so who wants to do a play next year?" Aragorn asked. "Maybe we'll try a dance for once, or a debate," Arwen said. "Did you see how Professor Saruman turned red at that crack about his fingernails?" Eowyn asked. "I heard him whispering about getting a nail cutter" Eomer piped up. "Good, and that means life will be so much easier in Math class" Faramir remarked. "That was awesome chemistry you and Eowyn had on stage!" Irilia noted. "I would have done it better," Delilah said. "Nah, I don't think so," Niliwen said before Greg slipped a rubber worm from the prop box down her back. "Oh, live and let learn. 'Life is a stage' " Arwen said nonchalantly as she poured rootbeer into all the glasses.  
  
A/N: Whew! That quote about life is a stage comes from Shakespeare (I think! I'm not too sure about that though). Okay, I hoped you like the bit about the flashback. Send a review as always. Till the next chapter-the last day of school chapter! Whee! 


	10. The Best Day of the School Year

A/N: Here we go again! Thanks for the reviews. Now, it's time for some summer hilarity-and everyone in the gang is along for the ride! It's gonna be another really long chapter! Well, I don't own anything except my original characters. Warning: There are some drunken occurrences below: just one paragraph of the story. Everything else belongs to Tolkien, and the game Taboo belongs to whoever made it (sorry, I really don't know) Have fun!  
  
The Best Day of the School year  
  
RIIIIIINNNNNGGGG! The college bell rang loudly that pleasant day in the middle of May, and its sound was drowned out by cheers, laughs, and a stampede of students. In the building now devoid of students Professor Gandalf shook his head as he watched the events of the day unfolding from his classroom window. Indeed, the students had been so glad to leave Middle- Earth University, even for just three months, especially the students of Course 6900, the advanced course of the university.  
  
"Let's have some fun! I wanna get going to Rivendell for the summer!" Lothiriel said excitedly as she threw her glittery bag into a car. "Hey, wait up! You can't go without me" Arwen laughed as she slid into the front seat beside Aragorn, who was absent-mindedly thumping the horn. "Cut it out, Aragorn! We know that you want to get going" Eomer called as he approached the car and got in. "Who are we taking along? Eowyn asked. "Let's see. If there are 21 of us going to Rivendell, and three cars, and if we know there are six of us here, then who's the seventh?" Aragorn replied. "Me" Delilah said cattily as she sidled up to the car. "Great, is that a good or bad thing?" Faramir muttered under his breath. "Come on! How can I put my bag in here if all of yours are crowding the boot?" Delilah called from behind the car. "Maybe we should feed her to a dwimmerlaik or something" Eomer muttered as his sister got out of the car. "Delilah, what do you have in that monster bag?" Eowyn asked cautiously as she eyed the five-foot high bag beside Delilah. "My makeup, my clothes, my beauty products, you can never be too prepared" Delilah replied. "I guess we're going to have to move a bag to the passenger compartment" Arwen commented. "Put Eowyn's in front. It's the smallest" Lothiriel called. Eowyn moved her bag to the passenger compartment and put it on the floor. "Doesn't this car have an overhead baggage rack?" Aragorn asked. "How can it have a baggage rack if it has a skylight?" Faramir retorted. "I guess we're going to have to squeeze then, or someone is going to sit on somebody's lap" Delilah said as she eyed Faramir. Eowyn felt half-sick at the prospect of this occurrence. "Is there a way we can avoid that?" Eomer asked desperately. "Well, we can squeeze really tight" Lothiriel suggested. "Isn't there a hidden seat in the front?" Faramir asked as he tried to get closer to Eowyn and away from Delilah. Aragorn and Arwen checked the car thoroughly and shook their heads. "Ooh, now we're in trouble" Eowyn said as she tried to squeeze herself into a small gap between Faramir and the wall of the car. "You're not going to fit there," Eomer said. "I might, if you and Lothiriel made some more space. She doesn't have germs" Eowyn shot back. Lothiriel and Eomer shifted themselves towards the window and the result was a gap that Eowyn and Delilah could squeeze into. "Finally, we can go" Arwen said in relief as Aragorn started the car.  
  
It was past dinnertime when the party arrived at Rivendell, and their friends had arrived there two hours earlier. Master Elrond received them warmly, and in no time at all, they were shown to their chambers. When she was finally alone, Eowyn opened her bag, and something hissed. A furry brown shape jumped out, spitting in annoyance. Eowyn almost panicked, until she recognized the shape. "Well, hello Sir Bottlebrush" Eowyn said gingerly as she picked up the cat and took it to Irilia's room. After getting all the fur off her clothes and arranging some things, Eowyn decided to go and check on her friends. After all, this wasn't her first time in Rivendell because she'd stayed overnight in this place last December. She'd been going along fine, until she accidentally walked into Delilah's room, thinking it was the bathroom. "What the @$%&*# are you doing here?" Delilah screeched when she saw Eowyn. "Sorry, I thought this was the bathroom" Eowyn said apologetically. "The bathroom is the door after this. Next to that is Faramir's room. Don't you touch my stuff there, in the first five closets" Delilah warned. "By Eorl, that's a small collection" Eowyn said sarcastically as she shut the door. (A/N: For the next paragraphs/chapters, this is the room outline in this hallway from left to right: Arwen, Eowyn, Delilah, the ladies' room, Faramir, Aragorn, Greg, then the men's room. The rest sleep in other rooms in different parts of the house)  
  
The next day, everyone was up by seven despite their settling in chaos the previous night, thanks to two scuffles involving Arwen, Eowyn, Delilah, Pippin, Legolas, and Elladan, over the bathrooms. It all began at five- thirty in the morning, when Delilah hogged the bathroom while Arwen and Eowyn yelled at her to get out. This just caused a one-sided shouting match (Delilah did most of the shouting), that woke up all the girls, and Faramir and Aragorn whose bedrooms were near to the bathroom. On the other hand, Elladan had accidentally spilled Legolas' shampoo down the drain, and Pippin had dumped their toothbrushes into Sir Bottlebrush's food dish. Everyone was down for breakfast by eight, and they were in varying states of consciousness ranging from fully awake and fully dressed to almost asleep and stuck in pajamas. After breakfast they all went their own ways to enjoy the first day of summer vacation.  
  
"What do you want to do, Wyn?" Faramir asked Eowyn later that morning. "Why don't we do something we haven't done in a long time, like practice sword- play?" Eowyn said, slightly annoyed that her beloved had used her childhood nickname. "I thought you wouldn't try that again," Faramir said teasingly. "We've been out of practice for a year, so it wouldn't hurt to try to refresh our skills. You never know when you'd need them," Eowyn said as she finished lacing up her green sandals. "Do you want to meet back here in five minutes?" Faramir asked. "I knew you wouldn't refuse the challenge," Eowyn said before she retreated back into the house to fetch her reforged sword. (A/N: I presume that somehow, she'd gotten a new sword, or her old one was reforged after the Battle of the Pelennor)  
  
Swords clashed again and Eowyn sprang back, almost caught off-guard by Faramir's sudden move that had nearly knocked her sword out of her hand. This little game between the two of them was quite challenging because while Eowyn moved quickly, Faramir had more strength and though they'd been at this for about five minutes the odds were not yet uneven. "Got you there" Faramir said just before he had to duck, since Eowyn went for him again. In his turn, he went for Eowyn's elbow, but at the last second he saw a shimmering blade in front of his. Eowyn had somehow managed to block his blow, and send him backwards, just like what he did to her thirty seconds before. "Not quite yet" Eowyn smirked back at him before they continued the duel.  
  
"That hurt" Eowyn said through clenched teeth as she took her glance off the slight scratch on her shield arm. "Sorry about that" Faramir said. "You want to know what I'm going to do?" Eowyn asked playfully. "Aren't you going to give up now?" Faramir asked as he put down his sword. The next thing he knew, Eowyn had tackled him, and they were both down on the grass. Faramir rolled over and he got out from under Eowyn and they both lay side by side on the grass, laughing. "I'm not giving in," Eowyn said merrily as she held Faramir's hand to her cheek. Faramir kissed her gently and he smiled. "I know you wouldn't, and nor am I," he said. "Is someone out there?" Elrond's voice yelled from inside the house. "Let's go inside. I guess it's a tie here," Eowyn said as Faramir helped her up. "Maybe we should go horseback riding next time," Faramir said as they sheathed their swords and went back into the house.  
  
"Who has some booze around here? I'm bored!" Delilah yelled later that evening while the whole group was hanging out in a sitting room. "Sorry, we don't' keep much of the hard stuff here. My father would kill us," Elrohir said. "I have some stuff. Want to have some, chick?" Greg said as he sat nonchalantly on the table. "I swear you two have no livers!" Irilia called from the other end of the room, where she was busy repairing her cat's blanket. "Let's just do something else. I want to go get wet," Arwen said. "In the Ford?" Niliwen joked before she plopped down onto a beanbag. "I'm getting soaked. Can I have a bottle of booze?" Delilah asked. Greg stalked off to his room to get three bottles of vodka. Suddenly Lothiriel emerged from her room, donning an afro hair-do. "What got into you?" Rose asked in shock. "It's quite groovy, so let's party!" Lothiriel said as she turned on the CD player that was gathering dust in the corner. Rivendell's full-time residents weren't very fond of this contraption. "If you want me, I'll be in the library" Diamond said as she got up, but Delilah pulled her back. "Come on, loosen up" Delilah slurred. "Maybe we should all just go to sleep" Frodo suggested, which only earned him a bop on the head from a half- drunk Greg.  
  
The night was getting old, and the sitting room was in a state of near- pandemonium. Delilah had begun to dance crazily to the disco tunes in the CD player, all seven hobbits were playing a very nonsensical game of Taboo. The elves, namely Elladan, Elrohir, and Legolas were jumping around the room on pogo sticks and wearing kilts and singing snatches of old songs at the top of their lungs. Irilia had finished her sewing, which was covered with shoddy stitches. Niliwen, and Gimli were fast asleep on the beanbags, oblivious to all the chaos around them. As for Aragorn and Arwen, they were busy attempting to clean up all the mess in the room since they were the only ones sober enough to do it. Neither of them drank too much of the fruit punch that Greg and Delilah had whipped up. "Where's Lothiriel?" Arwen asked anxiously as she surveyed the scene. "Look there" Aragorn pointed as he caught sight of Lothiriel and Eomer, drunk as they were, having a burping contest. Arwen rolled her eyes as she mopped up some punch that Estella had spilled. The two of them noticed Greg snoozing by the door, with a bottle of vodka in his hand, and a trail of it leading to the punch bowl. As for Faramir and Eowyn, they'd begun playing a game of Checkers, which obviously wasn't going well since neither of them was thinking straight. After Aragorn and Arwen had finished cleaning up, everyone had passed out: first the hobbits, then Delilah, then the other elves, then Irilia, then Faramir, followed soon after by Lothiriel, Eowyn and Eomer (in that order). The two remaining sober ones were too exhausted to return to their rooms, so the sunrise saw twenty-one college students fast asleep all over the room.  
  
A sunbeam pierced the darkness of the room and shone on Eowyn's face, and she stirred uneasily, and she wondered what was she doing on a carpet. Her head was throbbing and a disgusting taste was in her mouth as she struggled to try to get herself awake. Finally, she succeeded in at least getting her eyes open to be able to look around. So far, only Estella, Elrohir and Elladan had managed to get up and these three were now dragging the rest of the group to the correct bedrooms. Eowyn got up, and set about to waking some of the sleepers, only to get varied responses from full cooperation to simply nada. First person she tripped on was her brother. "Eomer! Wake up!" Eowyn said as she attempted to rouse her brother, who just murmured incoherently and turned to slumber some more. Finally, after several unsuccessful attempts to wake up some more people, Eowyn gave up and proceeded to help her friends drag some dead-drunk people to their rooms. After this difficult task, Eowyn just went to her own room and fell asleep on the bed without bothering to even change out of her juice and grass- stained clothing.  
  
Faramir really couldn't remember much of the night's events after he and Eowyn sat down to play Checkers. All he really remembered were the smell of punch all over the floor and the sight of checkers all in the wrong places All this flooded back when he woke up in his room. 'What was in that punch?" he thought aloud as he got out of bed, now that he was finally thinking straight. On his way out the door, he accidentally bumped into Delilah. "Hello, handsome" Delilah cooed. "Hi Delilah. What time is it?" he asked as he instinctively stepped back to avoid Delilah's wandering hand, which was almost on his arm. "Oh, I don't know" Delilah replied as she stepped into the ladies' bathroom and she shot him a wink. After Delilah left, Faramir walked down the hall to find that almost everyone gathered back in the sitting room, minus the vodka. He saw a clock, which read 4:00 p.m. Undoubtedly, the drinks had a pretty powerful effect. Eowyn saw him as he entered the room. "Hello Faramir" she said politely as he sat beside her. "Did you wake up just now, Eowyn?" he asked her. "No, in fact I was trying to wake you up this morning, but you were quite knocked out" Eowyn replied. "Who won the Checkers round?" Faramir asked. "I don't remember. Let's just go do something else, and from now on, I'm steering clear of Delilah's brews" Eowyn said as she reached for a game board.  
  
A/N: Okay, that's over with. Note that I've never gotten drunk or gone on a sword-fight. Send a review, please! Hope you had fun, because next chapter is going to be a pool party thing... 


	11. Clouds and Rain

A/N: Yes, I know I promised a pool party, but I figured that once again, the plot was getting thrown off-course. This thing seems to be so much more like a serial story/sitcom rather than a novel. Anyway, this is a bit more serious than the other chapters, but it's still funny in some parts. Thanks to star queen for helping me with my spelling. I don't own anything except my original characters. Have fun and review before I turn my rabid orc loose.  
  
Clouds and Rain  
  
"Go away!" Éowyn yelled from underneath her blanket early one morning in September. It had been a week since classes resumed, and the weather was colder than usual, prompting many a student to want was to stay in bed was. 'Éowyn, it's breakfast time and we're going to be late if you don't get up" Lothíriel called from outside the room. "Wait, I'll be out in a few minutes," Éowyn said reluctantly as she attempted to drag herself out of her cozy bed. After about five minutes, she finally willed herself to get to the breakfast table, despite the fact that she was only half-awake. As expected, Arwen and Lothíriel were already halfway through breakfast, and quite a good number of students were not present at the breakfast table. "Why are you people in such a major hurry?" Éowyn asked Arwen as she sat at the table and reached for the cereal box. "Well, if you looked at the weather report, you wouldn't want to be on the road for long" Arwen replied. "So, it's going to be hail, temperature around twenty degrees and a lot of water" Aragorn said as he came into the dining room and sat beside Arwen. "Who's awake?" Lothíriel asked from behind her mouthful of toast. "Nobody else in my neck of the woods" Aragorn replied. "I told Faramir that he should get to sleep earlier instead of spending so much time trying to watch for shooting stars" Éowyn remarked nonchalantly as she stirred her cup of coffee.  
  
"Blast it! Hurry up in there!' Éomer shouted as he pounded on the bathroom door fifteen minutes later. "Sorry, but I think this door is cursed. It won't budge" Faramir shot back from inside the washroom. "I have no idea why is it always you who's getting locked in there, but I know one thing is for sure. My sister is going to laugh like anything when she hears of this" Éomer said as he leaned on the door. Suddenly, he toppled backwards as Faramir pulled the door open. "You don't tell her. I will" Faramir said as he left Éomer sitting on the floor flat on his rear. "Brrr, the floor is freezing" Éomer muttered as he got up.  
  
"How many new faces are here in the University?" Niliwen asked as she, Irilia, Legolas and Gimli walked along the hallway to Laboratory class later in the morning. "You forgot about arms, legs, and feet," Gimli said. "Stupid, she is using metonymy, which is a figure of spee-" Irilia began before Niliwen whacked her with a folder. "Cut it out you two. There's a rumor that Haldir of Lorien is the new Science teacher," Legolas said. "Is that a cool thing or what?" Niliwen asked. "Let's just say it would make Legolas' hair curl" Gimli piped up. Irilia had to stop herself from giggling at a sudden mental image as they entered the laboratory. "And what makes you so delayed in getting here, my students?" a voice boomed from the front of the room. To Legolas' horror, Haldir stood by the blackboard, wearing a monocle and with a pointer in his hand. "Great, this is going to be a lo-ong year" Gimli muttered as they scurried to a laboratory table.  
  
"Don't touch the beaker," Éowyn warned as she set a beaker full of liquid on a tripod. "If you're telling me that, then get your hand away from the burner" Éomer said as he set the timer. Suddenly, a swift hand came out of nowhere and swiped the container off the stand, causing an eerie, foul- smelling, green cloud to spread all over the laboratory. The whole laboratory was thrown into confusion as Professor Haldir yelled at the top of his lungs for the class to calm down, and as students began stampeding for the doors and windows. As for the people who were nearest to the counter, they had begun coughing and choking on the fumes. Before things got totally out of hand, just as suddenly as it came, the cloud disappeared, and all eyes looked to the broken beaker on the counter, with a bubbling puddle of liquid around it. As the cloud cleared, Éowyn saw a familiar, but chilling face at the adjacent table. "Well, look who's here. Remember me, Éowyn?" the student said sinisterly. Éowyn leaned back against the table in repulsion. She couldn't believe who was at the next table. "Oh dear, I forgot the introductions. Will all new students introduce themselves?" Haldir called from the front. The student walked to the front and introduced himself as Grima. At the sound of the name, Éowyn turned pale and Éomer clenched his fist. Their new classmate was none other than their uncle's old advisor, Wormtongue.  
  
As the rain poured outside, the heating systems of the school building they were in conked out, prompting everyone to seek some way of warming his or herself up before some sort of hail formed in the hallway. "It's never been this cold at this time in this part of Middle-Earth" Frodo said as he put on a black jacket. "Well, you know how hot it was last summer, so I guess this is the other half of the crisis" Rose said while she buttoned up her coat. "I can't believe we're wearing these in the building, but we have to keep warm" Diamond said as she put on a ski hat. "Who's got a nice stash of chocolate?" Pippin asked. "Enough of that. I wonder if there's a flood outside" Estella said. "You'll know when the only thing that works is your flashlight" Merry laughed. Suddenly, the hall went dark. "Very nice Merry. Now who has a light?" Sam said indignantly.  
  
"I'm still cold" Éowyn complained as she shivered underneath her jacket as she plopped down on the floor in the dorm room. Now everyone was back safe and sound in the dormitory after braving the pouring rains. Classes were called off that day, quite usual for October, but quirky for September. "Are you sure you aren't sick?" Éomer asked. "I'm fine, but that encounter with Worm freaked me out" Éowyn replied. "Did you know that Delilah was fuming because the rain washed away her makeup?" Gimli said as he sipped a mug of hot chocolate. "Maybe you should get a drink, Éowyn" Arwen suggested. "Wait, I thought we were out of chocolate" Aragorn remarked. "That's because Niliwen here drank it all" Faramir said. "Oops, sorry" Niliwen said. "Why don't we party?" Legolas asked. "Nah, let's just imagine we're sunning on the beach in Dol Amroth, with that sun shining on our faces, the cool, not cold waves in front of us, and with the warm sand under our backs, just like it was last August when we went there" Elladan said. "I preferred actually surfing on those waves," Irilia said. "Yes, and with all the wind in your face and lots of fruits to eat after a swim" Elrohir reminisced. "I'm feeling better already. That's why I brought all of you down there before classes began" Lothíriel said.  
  
After hanging out some more with her friends, Éowyn went to the dormitory's mini-library to pick up a few good books to read. After she picked out her books, she felt a pair of eyes looking at her lustily. She turned around in fear, and true enough, she saw Wormtongue staring at her. "What are you doing here?" Éowyn asked. "Just nothing. You know, things are so much different now in Rohan" Wormtongue began. "I know that, and what concern is it to you?" Éowyn shot back. "Your impertinence amuses me" Wormtongue sneered. "Is anybody there?" a voice called from the hallway. "It's just I. Did you follow me here too?" Éowyn shouted back. Then, Faramir stepped into the library and surveyed the scene before him in surprise. "Well, so what brings you two here?" he asked. "Who are you?" Wormtongue asked. Éowyn promptly introduced the two properly and Faramir was slightly unnerved, for he was very much aware of what Wormtongue had done before to Éowyn and Éomer Hearing them speak of Wormtongue was one thing, meeting him in person was a different matter. He wasn't afraid of what danger may come to himself as a result of his affection to Éowyn, but rather he was afraid of what may happen to his friends if Wormtongue had any cause to retaliate against them. Then, the touch of Éowyn's hand against his snapped Faramir out of his reverie and he looked at her and smiled. Then he looked around the room and realized that Wormtongue had already quit the library.  
  
Wormtongue was going really insane. The sight of it: the way Éowyn had smiled at Faramir, and the way that they held hands, was burning into his mind. As he ran blindly to his room, he recalled how he could never have gotten near Éowyn. How she'd looked upon Aragorn when they first met in Edoras. Wormtongue would never forget that day, for that was the day when he'd left Edoras for good. And most of all, what he'd just seen a few moments before. Only one thing entered his mind: he would have his way by hook or by crook. "You'll see soon what I can do. Somehow, you will be mine, and mine alone" Wormtongue thought darkly as he looked back downstairs.  
  
  
  
A/N: Short, huh? Well, couldn't think of much; all the good stuff will go in the next chappie. So send a review quick, and I promise, there will be another chapter by Friday next week. Never saw a fic with Faramir vs. Wormtongue, so this idea looks really new. 


	12. Of Pompoms and Crazy Seniors

A/N: Still don't own anything except for my original creations (Irilia, Niliwen, Delilah, Greg, + Riniwel and Gariniwen). I am so sorry this chapter took forever. R/R, but please, no flames! I do not mean to offend any cheerleaders, geeks, or such people with this chapter, nor do I mean to rival anybody who's written something on how Éomer and Lothíriel got together. I put Lothíriel in this story for a reason, but yet I still will have a lot of Faramir/Éowyn in this story especially in the next chapter. I don't know what nicknames that Éowyn, Arwen and Lothíriel were called when they were little girls, so don't blame me. I need reviews, otherwise I will send Billy the Oliphaunt after you!  
  
  
  
Of Pompoms and Crazy Seniors  
  
"What?! Éowyn made it to cheerleading squad and I didn't?" Delilah screeched in horror as she looked at the list of the girls who'd passed the tryouts that were held the previous week.  
  
It was now the last week of September, and now the time had come to find out just who'd gotten accepted into certain classes or activities. Word had come that there were Universities in Rhun and Harad, so now the seniors, juniors and the sophomores of Course 6900 were permitted to participate in inter-university competitions.  
  
"Am I glad that I made it into Dance Class rather than cheerleading! And at least I'm also going to Civics with Éomer " Lothíriel said. She and Éomer had been getting closer over the past few weeks.  
  
"This has to be a dream. I don't really want to join the squad, but all the girls had to try out! I don't want to get on a popularity list for this!" Éowyn said in surprise as she looked at the list.  
  
"You should be happy. It's great to be popular!" Estella said.  
  
"I thought you were on the popularity list, Éowyn" Irilia said.  
  
"That was in first year, and we only took the survey from among our batch mates and the regular freshmen and sophomores. Now that we're considered now as juniors and seniors though we should be sophomores, things are different" Niliwen pointed out.  
  
"Well, who knows what the future brings," Arwen mused.  
  
"I still don't get why she gets in, and I don't" Delilah complained.  
  
"Belly-dancing moves don't qualify for the tryouts, for your information" Arwen said.  
  
  
  
Two weeks later, the electives were in full swing. On this week, it was already Thursday, and everyone was looking forward to this day since the activities were held on Thursdays and Fridays. Everybody except for Éowyn that is.  
  
On this day, Éowyn had decided to wear some clothes she hadn't touched in a long time. "Never mind that my weight might have changed" she thought. She'd put on a few pounds in the spring, but in the summer, she managed to lose some weight, but she still wasn't sure if she'd fit right into her clothes from last year. In the end, she decided on a white shirt, her favorite red jacket and blue jeans with flowers at the bottom with a pair of brown sandals. Thankfully, the clothes fit just right.  
  
After practice, Éowyn was about to leave a stall in the ladies' room, when she heard two voices speaking. They were of her new co-cheerleaders, Riniwel and Gariniwen, both seniors in the University.  
  
"Honestly, she's so whatever! I mean, she's dating this nerd from Literature class, and she looks so big in those clothes of hers, which are weird enough to begin with" Riniwel whispered a bit too loudly.  
  
"Yeah, but at least her boyfriend Faramir is cute. Though I wonder what did she see in him" Gariniwen chimed in.  
  
"She's also such a kill-joy. She's the only cheerleader who doesn't laugh at our jokes about the other people around here"  
  
"And to mention the fact that she's so careless about her appearance. She doesn't wear make-up, and I say she looks like a tomboy in those pants of hers"  
  
Éowyn took this all in from where she was standing in the bathroom, hidden from view. She couldn't believe it. These two girls had just been complimenting her an hour ago about her clothes and other things.  
  
"Backstabbers!" Éowyn mumbled as she heard the two cheerleaders leave the bathroom. She hated cheerleading not just because of them, but also she ended up blowing off everything to balance her studies and social commitments to the point that she barely saw her friends. "I swear, popularity is a curse," she thought.  
  
  
  
"Am I strange?" Éowyn asked her brother later that day as they walked back to the dormitory.  
  
"How am I supposed to know? I've known you since the day you were born" Éomer laughed.  
  
"Very funny. So, how are you and Lothíriel getting along?"  
  
"Umm, pretty well, but that's an understatement"  
  
"I see. She's a pretty nice girl, you know and she thinks you're a nice guy"  
  
"I have a question. How does it feel to be in love?" Éomer asked cautiously.  
  
"So, you're in love with Lothíriel?" Éowyn teased.  
  
"I don't know! I mean, she's nice and all, and really friendly towards me, but our relationship seems too platonic. But yet, I can't stop thinking about her, even when I'm playing football! I don't understand. It was never that way between Aragorn and Arwen, or you and Faramir" Éomer admitted.  
  
"Give it some time. You two have been 'bonding' only for the past month. Eventually, things just will become clearer. I think you two make a pretty good duo" Éowyn advised.  
  
"Don't start now on that. Please don't tell Lothíriel" Éomer begged.  
  
"I won't. But you should, if it feels right" Éowyn said.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow Éomer" Lothíriel said to him later that evening at the door of her dormitory room.  
  
"Good night, Thiri" Éomer said to her, unaware that his sister was also present in the room.  
  
"Oh, so he's calling you by your childhood nickname?" Éowyn teased after her brother left.  
  
Lothíriel blushed slightly. "Yeah, he calls me that even in public. It seems to be his personal way of greeting me," she admitted.  
  
"I know Aragorn sometimes calls Arwen by her brothers' old favorite nickname for her: Miel. Arwen says that he only uses it as a private endearment. I only know because I accidentally heard him refer to her using that name while we were working in Art Class" Éowyn said.  
  
"So, does my cousin use your old nickname Wyn?" Lothíriel asked.  
  
"Only to tease me, when we're alone. If he called me that in public, I'll never let him hear the end of it" Éowyn laughed.  
  
  
  
Éowyn did not go to sleep right away. She still had to rush her paper to be passed the next morning. It was past midnight when she finished. As she walked through the hallway back to her after returning her references to the mini-library, she felt someone an icy hand seize her arm and pull her to an alcove.  
  
"Well, look who's still up late" Wormtongue hissed as he put his face near hers.  
  
"Shouldn't you also be in bed?" Éowyn said calmly.  
  
"I know what you've been up to" Wormtongue snarled.  
  
Éowyn knew that this had nothing to do with her late night studying. "What do you want?" she asked.  
  
"You know what I want. And I'm not giving up on it" he whispered insidiously.  
  
"Get away from me. And if I find you harming my friends, I'll-" she said.  
  
"Your arm is too feeble for your tongue, Éowyn" Wormtongue said scornfully.  
  
"I'm not the same girl you used to intimidate. Let me go and do not bother my loved ones or me ever more" Éowyn spat.  
  
"The snake will always find its way even underneath a tall bulwark," Wormtongue warned as he slipped into the darkness.  
  
  
  
"Hey, isn't your brother in the football team, Éowyn?" Gariniwen asked the next day after practice.  
  
"Yeah, and what is that to you?" Éowyn asked  
  
"Can you set me up with him? Please!" Gariniwen begged.  
  
Éowyn rolled her eyes. She knew that deep down, Éomer had his heart set on Lothíriel. A year ago, he would've been fair game for Gariniwen, but now this wasn't so.  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea," Éowyn said sternly.  
  
"But he's not taken. Come on, can you give him my number?" Gariniwen begged.  
  
"Oh, and pigs have wings. And I'm not giving the number" Éowyn thought.  
  
  
  
A/N: Still short I know. Hey, this is the starting point of Chapters 13-15 actually. That's when life does get hard! Life is sure not easy in Middle- Earth University. Yes, there will be a lot of Faramir/Éowyn and Éomer/Lothíriel in the next parts, of course with a bit of Aragorn/Arwen. Yep, next is Chapter 13. Yes, I am not superstitious. Well, so send a review quick since the Oliphaunt is getting hungry. Till next chapter then! Namarie! 


	13. The Balrog Mash

A/N: I'm not fazed by anything with the number 13. I finally got this up after a lot of plot bunnies died on me. I hope the last two chapters weren't so bad. This will be the beginning of a series of long chapters! This chapter might slightly tickle your funny bone. It's Halloween party M.E. style! I still don't own anything except my original characters. Please review!  
  
The Balrog Mash  
  
"Don't wear that balrog mask in Professor Gandalf's class" Legolas warned Gimli just before Professor Gandalf stepped in to begin the Basic Literature Class for Course 6900. Basic was a prerequisite, and Comprehensive Literature was optional for students. This day happened to be a Thursday the 29th of October, S.R.  
  
"You're just scared. You were the first one to scream when we saw the balrog in Moria" Gimli said as he wore the mask.  
  
Legolas muttered under his breath something about dwarf stupidity as the Professor came in.  
  
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Today, we will have a test about the current events as a starter for our next lesson. Unless you've spent the last year underground, I expect you should do well in this test" Gandalf began.  
  
"Put on the balrog mask Gimli!" Legolas hissed urgently as he noticed the dwarf take the mask off.  
  
"No I'm not" Gimli snapped.  
  
"Oh yes you will"  
  
"No I won't- -hey! Who turned out the lights?"  
  
"Take off the mask Master Gimli" Gandalf said sternly.  
  
"By Durin, here it goes," said Gimli as he took off his mask, and there was no head underneath it!  
  
"Gross!" Niliwen yelled.  
  
"Haha! Sucker!" Irilia laughed.  
  
"Gimli, what happened to your head?" Rose asked in horror as she tried to catch Sam, who'd fainted by then.  
  
Suddenly, Delilah looked on and let out an ear-piercing scream, which sent almost the entire class into pure pandemonium for about a couple of minutes.  
  
"Calm down! Either that, or you'll all flunk for the next semester!" Gandalf bellowed angrily. At that, the whole class shut up.  
  
"I guess that means no brownie points for anybody" Aragorn mused under his breath.  
  
  
  
After Basic Literature class, the students dispersed to go to their respective extra activities. For Faramir, that meant going to Comprehensive Literature. Well. He was one of those people who had the last pick when it came to the classes. But there was a sliver lining to it; it meant higher grades for him and a way for Greg not to pick fights with him.  
  
However, his latest troubles were going to come from the very place he'd gone to as a last resort  
  
"She's too far below you. Why should you, a Númenorean blooded man go down to her; a wild hellion of Rohan!" a young Dunlending named Harim said to Faramir later during class.  
  
"She's not 'far below me'. She's a daughter of kings too, and in fact I still owe her my life. Were it not for her, who knows what else the Black Breath may have done?" Faramir said.  
  
"Okay, I see your point. But college is a far cry from the Pelennor. What you see in her is a major mystery to me. Why didn't you go for someone like Delilah, or Niliwen?" Harim said.  
  
Faramir suppressed a laugh. "Niliwen? Are you crazy? I know she had a crush on me last year, but even she admits it was *just * a crush. And as for Delilah, I've known her for a year, and she doesn't show the least bit sign of substance" he said.  
  
"I don't see why not. Niliwen is a geek just like us. And Delilah is.." said Harim before he drooled.  
  
Faramir rolled his eyes. Dunlendings didn't understand.  
  
  
  
"Aiiieeee! Get it out of here!" Riniwel screeched as she struggled to keep her balance on the chair she and Gariniwen stood on in the dormitory living room early that afternoon. Classes had been called off early, and there would be no classes the next day. .  
  
"It's just a cockroach you two. It would be more reasonable if it could even fly" Éowyn said as she glared at them, then at the pathetic insect on the floor.  
  
"It could just fly up and bite you" Gariniwen said shakily.  
  
"It's old and half-dead" Éowyn said as she squashed it with her shoe.  
  
"Eww! How could you even go near such a thing?" Riniwel asked.  
  
"I've seen worse" Éowyn replied. These girls were two years older than she was and yet they still had fears like those of a child. But then again, she was a shieldmaiden, and the only one in school at that.  
  
"What was that about?" Faramir called from outside the room.  
  
"For Illuvatar's sake, is that your geek boyfriend?" Riniwel hissed.  
  
"I don't have a problem with him" Éowyn retorted softly. "It's just a minor pest problem," she yelled back before she left the room.  
  
Ten minutes later, Faramir and Éowyn found themselves in the dorm laundry room in the basement. For the past few weeks, neither of them had been able to do the wash, much less hang out with each other due to their hectic schedules and different crowds and classes. So now was the perfect opportunity to clean up stuff and catch up on each other.  
  
"And they wonder what I see in you. Sometimes, I wish I was just me again--- the woman who slew the Witch-King, a newfound college artist and a very good friend. I don't wish to be known as Éowyn the cheerleader!" Éowyn said as she pulled some clothes out of the dryer.  
  
"You're so much more than what they say," Faramir said as he turned to look at her.  
  
"You flatter me too much" Éowyn said teasingly.  
  
"I'm just telling the truth," Faramir said sincerely as he reached for her hand  
  
"Thank you" Éowyn said and she smiled at him.  
  
"I know they say things about me too" Faramir informed her.  
  
"I heard. It doesn't matter to me" Éowyn reassured him.  
  
"I'm glad to hear that" Faramir said and he kissed her tenderly. Just as they parted, they heard something from outside the room.  
  
"What have you two been up to?" Lothíriel asked from the doorway  
  
"Just doing some long overdue cleanup" Éowyn said innocently.  
  
"Sounds a lot more than that" Éomer said as he appeared beside Lothíriel.  
  
"Right. Were you two also planning to do your laundry or something?" Faramir asked.  
  
"We just wondered where you two were. Everyone's sacking out upstairs" Éomer said.  
  
"That's because nobody's going to sleep tomorrow night," Lothíriel said as she and Éomer entered the room.  
  
"Oh that party. I still don't know what I'm wearing" Éowyn laughed.  
  
Suddenly, the door slammed. The four of them were left speechless for a while.  
  
"That's odd. There's no wind down here," Faramir said. Then the lights went out.  
  
"We're jinxed" Éomer said as a rumbling sound came from behind them.  
  
"Nonsense. Did you guys turn off the washing machine?" Lothíriel asked nervously.  
  
"I did. Wait a minute, why is it on?!" Éowyn asked.  
  
"We need a flashlight. I can't get the door open," Éomer said.  
  
"Are you pushing or pulling at the door?" Faramir asked.  
  
"Pulling. The door swings inwards" Éomer said. Then a hollow laugh pierced the gloom.  
  
"Dwimmerlaik around here I bet. Either that, or somebody's playing a rotten trick on us" Éowyn muttered.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Lothíriel asked.  
  
"Stay calm, don't panic, don't be afraid.and go find a match" Éowyn said.  
  
"It's rather cold down here" Faramir noted.  
  
"Oh my gosh! Something..dead touched me!" Lothíriel shrieked.  
  
"Who's down there?' a voice called from outside the door.  
  
"It's just us, Arwen, the door's stuck" Éomer said.  
  
"Wait a minute, how did you guys get stuck there?" Arwen asked indignantly.  
  
"I don't know. Do you have a key?" Lothíriel asked.  
  
"Why would I have a key? I'll try to push at the door, so stay back" Arwen warned.  
  
After several futile attempts, Arwen said, "This door is impossible. I'll try to ask Aragorn if I can borrow his toolkit. Just stay there". Then she went upstairs.  
  
"So, what are you guys planning to wear tomorrow?" Lothíriel asked.  
  
"Nothing black that's for sure" Éowyn said.  
  
"Why not? After all, we're allowed to get wild tomorrow" Éomer asked.  
  
"I don't look good in black," Éowyn said.  
  
"I think we'd all look like mourners or corpses in black," Faramir said.  
  
"Not Thiri. I've seen her in a black ensemble and she looked alright" Éomer piped up. Suddenly, a cold wind went through the room.  
  
"You still remember that?" Lothíriel asked as she inched closer to Éomer.  
  
"Hey you four. How are you holding up in there?" Aragorn asked from outside.  
  
"Alright, but it's getting colder here," Éowyn said.  
  
"This lock is so stubborn. Something's holding it" Arwen complained.  
  
Then, without any apparent cause, the door opened, throwing Arwen off balance.  
  
'Whoa, that's weird" Éomer remarked.  
  
"Let's just get out of here. This room is giving me the shivers," Faramir said.  
  
"Next time, nobody should come down here alone. That will be the way until we can find out why that happened" Aragorn said as he helped Arwen up.  
  
  
  
"Oh yeah! No classes today!' Lothíriel said exuberantly as she slid down the banister the next day, only to crash into Harim, Riniwel and Gariniwen.  
  
"Watch it loser!" Gariniwen screamed.  
  
"I am so sorry. Aren't you my friend's classmates in cheerleading?" Lothíriel asked with as much meekness as she could muster.  
  
"Watch it sophomore. So your friend is Éowyn?" Riniwel said.  
  
"Umm, yeah" Lothíriel said.  
  
"Oh. And your cousin is Faramir?' Harim asked.  
  
"Yes, and if you have anything against either of them, then say it to their faces and not to me" Lothíriel said.  
  
"Whatever! Well. I don't know why would she hang out with you" Riniwel said as she and Gariniwen walked away and shoved Harim into a corner.  
  
"Ignoramuses! I have no idea why Faramir is with a girl who's like them!" Harim said as the girls walked away.  
  
"Hi Lothíriel! Have you seen Faramir around?" Éowyn asked as she joined the three of them.  
  
"He's already eating breakfast. He told me to tell you in case you woke up late that he'd be helping the hobbits fix up the hall" Lothíriel replied and she stole out of the room.  
  
"Thanks. And good morning to you sir" Éowyn said to Harim, since he was older than she was.  
  
"Good morning Éowyn" Harim said stiffly.  
  
"How did you know my name?" Éowyn asked.  
  
"Faramir says a lot about you" Harim replied.  
  
"Oh, you must be his classmate in Comprehensive Lit" Éowyn said. She knew that Harim didn't really like her, so she was determined to still speak civilly lest she really live up to her reputation among the geeks.  
  
"I am. Good day then" Harim said stonily as he left the room quickly.  
  
  
  
That evening, all the students gathered in the dining room, which was aglow with candles, and many funny decorations, which gave the room a slightly kooky, feel to it. Apparently, the hobbits' attempts to make the room feel macabre and creepy just made the room feel more like a funny spook hall. The only hobbit who could really draw a barrow-wight correctly was Frodo, but his decorations were overwhelmed by the more hilarious ones of Pippin and Merry.  
  
"I told them that if they wanted to scare people, they had to make the drawings more wispy" Faramir said to Éowyn as they looked at a rather cartoony drawing of Shelob the spider posted near the door.  
  
"Come on, it's good as is. I don't want to go to sleep with nightmares" Éowyn joked as she motioned to Éomer, Lothíriel, Niliwen, Legolas, Gimli, and Irilia who were at the bar to join them.  
  
"Would you believe that they wanted to draw the Witch-King?" Niliwen chimed in as she joined in sweeping around her old shawl.  
  
"That's a bad joke. Some people don't have very pleasant memories of that day. By the way, I know what Wormtongue is wearing tonight" Éomer said.  
  
"What?" Lothíriel asked.  
  
"Himself" Éomer quipped.  
  
"There's some nosh on the table. It looks good, but I can't figure out for the life of me what that red ooze is in the soup tureen" Legolas noted as he put on his creepy spider mask.  
  
"Diamond says that it's minestrone. That's what Rose told her, and Rose heard it from Sam, who cooked the soup. Diamond hasn't tried it yet," Irilia said as she pulled the elf's mask off.  
  
"I don't know. Sam can also have a wicked sense of humor. I saw all sorts of things floating in there" Lothíriel said.  
  
"Like what?" Éowyn asked as she smoothed down her green dress.  
  
"Eyeballs with smiley faces for pupils" Lothíriel said coolly.  
  
"Weird" Gimli muttered.  
  
"Wow, that must be really good if Gimli says it's weird" Faramir laughed.  
  
"Let's just check out the soup.if it's even edible," Irilia said evilly.  
  
"Umm, maybe we should watch that sucker Gariniwen eat the soup" Lothíriel said as she glanced at Gariniwen, who was tucking into the controversial glop.  
  
"Nothing bad is happening" Faramir said. Suddenly, Gariniwen let out a scream.  
  
"That ditz must've seen the eyeballs" Niliwen remarked.  
  
"Well, I've been watching Aragorn and Arwen eat the soup for sometime, and they look fine" Legolas said.  
  
"Let's dig in then," Éomer said as he strode towards the table.  
  
Indeed, the tureen looked menacing as it let out steam as Lothíriel pulled back the cover. All sorts of vegetables and meats, not to mention the eyeballs simmered in there.  
  
"Here goes nothing. Whether we'll throw up or not is anyone's guess" Irilia said as she spooned some soup into her bowl.  
  
"This soup is so sweet, as if it's made of candy" Éowyn said in disgust after tasting it.  
  
"Hey, who ate half of the decoration?" Merry called as he peeked into the tureen.  
  
"Okay, then I guess we're all wrong," Legolas said as he pushed away his bowl.  
  
Suddenly, the candles all were snuffed out in a sudden breeze, plunging the room into darkness. "That's scary. Don't tell me that this is happening again!" Arwen called.  
  
"What's happening again?" Elladan asked.  
  
"Didn't you hear of the laundry room incident?" Elrohir asked indignantly.  
  
"There's something in the hallway," Aragorn said warily.  
  
"Maybe it's a barrow-wight!" Estella said.  
  
"Estella, it's not a wight. It's something worse," Pippin said.  
  
Then, Frodo, Sam, Rose and Diamond came running into the hall. "Balrog! Call Professor Gandalf quick!" Sam yelled at the top of his lungs.  
  
"Oh my gosh. That's what you and Gimli get for joking about them in class!" Irilia said amid the resulting hullabaloo.  
  
"We can take it down. I can do it" Greg said foolhardily as he walked to the door.  
  
"No, don't try it Greg. We don't know how malevolent this is," Elladan said as he pulled the boy back.  
  
"Shouldn't this thing be gone now that Sauron has fallen?" Elrohir asked.  
  
"Not all evils die after the Dark Lord falls" Gandalf said from what seemed to be nowhere. The students could hear the balrog drawing near to the door. Suddenly, the hobbits came forward brandishing dinner knives.  
  
"Those are not going to work. We need to find a sword," Aragorn said.  
  
"But they're all locked in the vault. One of us has to.wait a minute, I don't hear the balrog anymore" Faramir said and he felt Éowyn grip his hand tightly in fear.  
  
"Run all of you. The balrog is in here," Gandalf warned.  
  
"What are you talk-we have to get out of here!" Arwen said as she backed up against the wall.  
  
"I'll try to get into the sword vault, my dear Undómiel. Once we retrieve our weapons, those should hold the balrog off," Aragorn said.  
  
"I won't have you risk your life Estel. I'm coming with you" Arwen said bravely.  
  
"Nobody's going down to the vault!" Wormtongue said.  
  
"And what makes you say that? This is a matter of life and death!" Éomer yelled.  
  
"Saruman's orders" Worm sneered as he blocked the door. Suddenly, the sound of a fiery whip crashing onto a wall was evident.  
  
"Let's go!" Gandalf yelled, but just as suddenly as it came, the balrog vanished.  
  
  
  
"Where is it?" Aragorn asked after coming back from a futile search two hours later. The party had broken up, and now the primary matters were finding the demon and dealing with the few drunkards in the group. Now, most of the students were still asleep, except for a certain six who'd just returned from the woods and were now sitting in the hallway.  
  
"No sign of it. All I got were some scratches in the woods," Éowyn said.  
  
"I wonder where it could've came from and how did it survive the wilds of Eriador" Faramir said.  
  
"I'm surprised it even got in without scorching anything. The walls, maybe except for one in the dining room, are still intact," Arwen said as she ran her hand across a wall panel.  
  
"I don't know. But I never saw anything like that before; anything that could cause so many people to panic. Balrogs can strike fear in the hearts of anyyone. I was never so scared before!" Lothíriel said.  
  
"Even I was afraid, but more for Lothíriel and Éowyn than myself" Éomer admitted.  
  
"I can fend for myself, thank you" Éowyn said defensively.  
  
Faramir thought of reminding Éowyn about her little gesture of fright in the dining hall, but he decided to let it pass. After all, he knew that she could take care of herself in most circumstances.  
  
"We can't dwell on this forever," Faramir finally said after a long while of silence.  
  
"You're right. Didn't you say there was something happening next month, Aragorn?" Éowyn asked.  
  
"There's nothing happening next month, except for more exams, and the occasional competition in sports being held in the Havens. Not a very good November if you ask me," Aragorn said.  
  
"Well, at least a paranormal dorm makes life more interesting around here" Faramir remarked.  
  
  
  
A/N: Wow, now the gang's got another prob on their hands. Don't worry, the romance will get back on track. I needed to establish the problems here. Well, review as usual, and I'll send my menagerie after you if you bypass that little button down there. Till next time! 


	14. Joy Like No Other, Jewel Without Compare

A/N: Well, you know the drill for disclaimers by now, so if you do not know, look at the last few chapters please. This long chapter isn't going to be too funny, because the story was getting derailed. Well, this is where the past three chapters will hinge together. Enjoy the ride and review!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Joy Like No Other, Jewel Without Compare  
  
  
  
"Hey woodsgirl! Are you joining the balrog hunts?" Gariniwen yelled at Éowyn one very cold day as they were on the practice field. It was already the twentieth of November and it was a Monday. Over the past few weeks, some students had been busy "assisting" in tracking the balrog, but these students were more of a hassle than an aid to the elves who were spearheading the investigation. The competitions had been held on an on and off basis, so the cheerleaders were practicing daily for their next competition that was going to be held that Friday. So far, the squad had been doing all right, but there was room for improvement.  
  
"Why should I?" Éowyn asked.  
  
"Well, you after all are a warrior and you know." Riniwel butted in.  
  
"First, I have better things to do than to waste my time complicating the task that has already been left to Gildor and the wood elves, and to Professor Bombadil. The balrog search parties are not needed. Next thing, I have to work on my thesis" Éowyn said.  
  
"That old thing? I haven't even started. You've got to be joking. How can you spend time on that?" Gariniwen asked.  
  
"Let's see who the joke's on in May when we have to pass it" Éowyn said.  
  
"Change topic! I don't even want to think of such things now," Riniwel said in exasperation.  
  
"What do you want to talk about then?" Gariniwen asked.  
  
"Oh you know, the people here Or maybe about boys or something" Riniwel said.  
  
"At least she had to change the topic. But couldn't she have picked something with more substance than locker room conversation?" Éowyn thought. By now, she knew too well what these conversations led to.  
  
"I hate the fact we haven't talked to that Greg dude or Éowyn's brother much! That bites" Gariniwen said aloud.  
  
"At least we're practicing a lot more instead of bugging the jocks. Now Éomer has time to hook up with Lothíriel" Éowyn thought aloud without quite thinking of what she'd just said.  
  
"Did you say hook up?" Riniwel gasped.  
  
"Umm.." Éowyn began.  
  
"It's not like that dancing queen can actually get to him before we can. We still have a chance"" Gariniwen said, cutting off Éowyn's thought.  
  
"Well, they have something going on. I honestly believe that they mean to take each other seriously," Éowyn pointed out.  
  
"After all, Greg Adamson is still our main thing!" Riniwel squealed.  
  
"I thought he was with that Delilah redhead," Gariniwen said.  
  
"Maybe not. She's such a player we can always steal him. I wonder how come you can't be more like her, Éowyn. Then you would end up with better guys," Riniwel said.  
  
"Who wants to be like her? I'm happy the way I am. So if a guy wants me, he has to see me for who I really am, not a trinket to be showcased or hidden away. That's what I love about Faramir. He knows me for who I am, beyond all that is said about me," Éowyn said.  
  
"I don't know why you didn't steal Aragorn from Arwen" Riniwel said.  
  
Éowyn's eyes widened. It was no secret anymore, but just to hear it being brought up again was painful enough.  
  
"I respect Aragorn and Arwen`s relationship. Besides, we have our reasons" Éowyn said, trying to disguise her shock.  
  
"But you could've gotten so much better. You once liked Aragorn, I heard" Riniwel pressed on.  
  
"I once liked him, but now I love Faramir. There's a difference " Éowyn said fiercely.  
  
Riniwel and Gariniwen just shut up. They just couldn't get it.  
  
  
  
"She would've been better for your brother. You're too scholarly"  
  
Faramir turned to look at Harim. The two of them were busy going through their Literature books in the library that afternoon.  
  
:"I don't know if anything even happened between them. My brother may have had a glimpse of her when he stopped by Rohan, but I doubt he actually talked to her," Faramir said.  
  
"Your brother was fond of swords and battles. So is Éowyn" Harim said.  
  
"Of course she is. After all, she is a renowned Rider of Rohan" Faramir said. He knew that deed on the Pelennor Fields would still be talked about, even in this odd Age.  
  
"Yes and you're a scholar who was always second-best in his father's eyes, you could never fill in your brother's shoes, no matter how hard you tried to. Your father obviously preferred your brother, I hear. So if your own father treated you that way, how much more are you sure that you're first in Éowyn's affections? How do you know she doesn't love Aragorn, Greg or Wormtongue?" Harim taunted. .  
  
"I don't think it's that way between the two of us," Faramir said.  
  
"Once second-best, always second-best, that's what they say" Harim said icily as he gathered up his books.  
  
  
  
"Those two almost blew up? Sometimes you act before you think, Éowyn" Lothíriel said to her friend the next day.  
  
"At least I told the truth. At least they'll know better than to flirt with Éomer" Éowyn said.  
  
"Never mind. After all, people did stare when your brother and I went to the coffee shop yesterday. I wonder if it will work out," Lothíriel said.  
  
"There's nothing to be worried about. I'm not worried about you two. I'm more worried about the competition. This thing is really making life miserable. I can't be who I want to be. I feel like I'm getting pushed into a cage" Éowyn confided.  
  
"Don't sweat it. For once, take things as they come. It's like grooving free form to music. You just feel things along and do what you can to make the best of it" Lothíriel advised.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hello Faramir. Where's Éowyn?" Delilah crooned the next morning (Wednesday) when they met outside the lecture hall.  
  
"Already at classes. Have you seen her?" Faramir said.  
  
Delilah pouted. "No. Listen, can you ditch that tomboy for even just one night like say tonight and have a few drinks with me" she offered aggressively.  
  
"Actually, Éowyn and I were going to go with our friends for some snacks later after the cheerleading practice," Faramir said uneasily. One thing he didn't like about Delilah was the fact she was too aggressive in the wrong way, which made her too easy to have.  
  
Delilah scowled at him. "Don't you ever live a little, even with her? I mean, I don't see you two doing stuff like drinking," she said.  
  
"We have better stuff to do" Faramir said. Since that incident in Rivendell, they'd all been slightly wary of alcohol.  
  
"Gosh, no wonder why you guys are so screwed up" Delilah said as Faramir walked off.  
  
  
  
"Boy am I not accepting an invitation from that girl. I heard she's in cahoots with Wormtongue in a few matters. She even tried to flirt with me in full view of all, even though Thiri was there," Éomer remarked after Faramir told his story. The two boys were sitting on the bleachers while waiting for the cheerleaders to come.  
  
"I can't believe you two boys are here watching this!" Arwen said as she and Aragorn joined the two.  
  
"Weren't we supposed to also give feedback on their performance?" Lothíriel said as she jumped down from a higher bleacher  
  
"It feels weird watching this to tell you the truth" Faramir admitted. "And to think I got into an argument with her yesterday over the importance of this thing because she's spending so much time on it to the point I barely see her"  
  
"This competition is important to the school. Aside from the dance competition, this is our last chance to beat the Rhun and Harad teams" Aragorn pointed out as he put his arm around Arwen's.  
  
". I swear, I have to be the worst on the squad. Add that to the fact everybody's late again. But thanks for coming anyway" Éowyn said as she sat down beside Faramir.  
  
"Fashionably late is more like it" Greg boomed from somewhere.  
  
"Is he a gay jock or what?" Faramir whispered.  
  
"Or he simply lives on hormones" Éowyn said as she smoothed down her skirt  
  
"Hey chicks, wazzup?" Greg said as he winked at Arwen.  
  
"If he uses that lame pick-up line of his, he's gonna get it from me personally" Aragorn said.  
  
"Hey cheer babe, whatcha doing hanging with Nerd here?" Greg said as he sidled up to Éowyn.  
  
"Get lost Greg" Faramir said.  
  
"Oh, so Nerd is getting possessive isn't he?" Greg mocked.  
  
"All cheerleaders assemble! Greg Adamson, please report to Professor Saruman's office for your Math Tutorial" a voice barked from a speaker, breaking up the tension.  
  
"Thanks Faramir" Éowyn whispered as she stood up to leave and she kissed his cheek.  
  
"We'll wait here. You'll do fine," Faramir said before Éowyn dashed down to the field.  
  
"Your life is charmed isn't it?" Aragorn asked Faramir.  
  
"Perhaps" Faramir said as the group looked to watch the practice.  
  
  
  
That night saw Faramir and Éowyn sitting quietly together on a window seat in the dormitory. The moon was rising in the East, and the only sounds that the two of them could hear were the wind blowing, the sound of people walking back from the balrog hunts, and the sound of each other's heartbeat. All was perfectly calm, and they were both at ease, though they were in silence.  
  
"Am I strange?" Éowyn finally asked seriously, still looking out over the East. It was a question she never had an answer to. Nobody was ever able to answer it for her.  
  
"What makes you ask? Normality is relative," Faramir said.  
  
Éowyn stared at him "Are you trying to dodge my question?" she asked.  
  
"You never asked me that before" Faramir replied.  
  
"I'm always being looked at as a tomboy by the cheerleaders who say I should be more like Delilah, some people think I'm a deserter, then some boys like Greg and Wormtongue think I'm just a hot girl with long legs..I don't know who I really am anymore. I just want to know who am I to you" Éowyn admitted.  
  
"You're much more than I can ever put into words. You're no ordinary person or woman for that matter," Faramir said.  
  
"So you're saying I'm strange? Or are you speaking in riddles again?" Éowyn retorted.  
  
"That's not what I meant, and I'm not speaking in riddles. You aren't just the woman who saved my life. You're the bravest, kindest and closest friend I'll ever have and I love you despite what people think. I don't think you were named "Éowyn" for nothing". Faramir said.  
  
"You've been reading up on etymology again haven't you? I guess that's one of the quirks that make you so different from any other man I've met. Arda would be boring if we were all the same," Éowyn said lightly as her hand grasped his tightly.  
  
Faramir kissed her hand and ran a thumb along Éowyn's fingers, all red and marked from a long day of schoolwork, practices and guitar playing. She was a wonderful person, sore hands and all, he knew. "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday," he said as his gray eyes met hers.  
  
"You apologized to me fifteen minutes after we fought. It's also my fault actually, taking you and everybody else for granted even though you were always on my mind. I'm sorry too," Éowyn said.  
  
"You wouldn't have done that if I had also made an effort to spend time with you" Faramir said.  
  
"I know. I wish we could still talk more, catch up on each other and all, but it's past eleven already," Éowyn said in dismay as she looked at the clock. The night was getting old already.  
  
"Let's go now. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day. And I think you and the squad will do great on Friday," Faramir said as he got off the window seat and helped Éowyn off after him. The morning would bring new things, and they had to be ready to face them.  
  
  
  
"Ha! You could never face me you losers!" Greg's taunt rang across the ball field. This Thursday was different. Now instead of having lectures, time was being spent on electives, thesis writing and other activities, among them, PE class.  
  
"Just pass the ball," Sam yelled.  
  
"I don't think you should ask him that," Pippin said as he rolled up his pants.  
  
"This is so unfair! How can we hobbits take down those Harad men?" Diamond asked Pippin.  
  
"That's why we have challenges right? Besides, Elladan, Elrohir and Niliwen are with us. Anyway I have a feeling we can outsmart them" Frodo butted in.  
  
"Riiiggghhhhtttt and Irilia, Gimli and Legolas are with Greg and Wormtongue. And to think I lost a contest the other day" Niliwen whined.  
  
"Only because it was a poetry contest and you were up against Faramir, Aragorn and Frodo" Merry said.  
  
"At least she won the journalism bet" Rose said.  
  
"Hey, stop talking nerds! I'm gonna throw the soccer ball over!" Wormtongue yelled.  
  
"Like he will," Estella said before the ball landed in front of her and Gimli kicked it away from her.  
  
"The ball's coming your way Elladan! Be sure Legolas doesn't kick it in!" Elrohir called to his twin, who was the goalie.  
  
"OUCH! Gimli! You don't tackle the goalie!" Elladan called from under Gimli.  
  
"But Irilia kicked me!" the dwarf complained.  
  
"Hey, where's Delilah?" Irilia asked.  
  
"She's afraid of breaking her nails" Legolas said.  
  
"I wish Eowyn was playing now instead of cheerleading. She's not afraid of breaking her nails" Rose said.  
  
"She keeps her nails short anyway. How the heck did we start talking about nails?" Niliwen asked.  
  
'Ask DYE here" Irilia said glancing at Legolas.  
  
"What's DYE?" Elladan asked.  
  
"The Dirty Young Elf!" Irilia said before Legolas bopped her with the ball.  
  
"Shut up! I want to get lunch!" Worm whined.  
  
"Only because you want to spy on Éowyn" Merry said before Worm shot him a dirty look.  
  
"Let's just stop meddling into this love triangle shall we?" Frodo asked.  
  
"More like Pentagon or even Hexagon" Worm said.  
  
"I don't have a crush on Faramir anymore you hunchbacked @!@#%$" Niliwen yelled tactlessly.  
  
"Hey no swearing girl. So if we've got Faramir, Éowyn, Wormtongue, and Delilah, who's playing the fifth?" Diamond said.  
  
"Greg" Pippin said.  
  
"Alright, so we aren't going to have the Soccer Conspiracy now!" Estella yelled before the ball came back into play. College romances were really complicated.  
  
  
  
"You're a blind fool Éowyn" Wormtongue said to her at the lunch counter.  
  
"I'd rather be blind than open to your indecencies" Éowyn said.  
  
"Remember, I had a grip over you for years. You're JUST a child, a scared child" Wormtongue mocked.  
  
"I'm not a child, " Éowyn said hotly. She couldn't deny she had been a prisoner of a different sort too,  
  
"Then you're a restless rover. I know the look on your face when you saw Aragorn. And you *fell * for Faramir not long after! Can you call that love?" Wormtongue said.  
  
Éowyn stormed off. How dare anybody say that about her! "There was a difference! Aragorn brought me hope where I had none and healing of one sort. I never could touch him, I wasn't meant to. Arwen was and is still meant to do that for him. But Faramir allowed me to touch him within, and he understood me in a way Aragorn never will. And I also feel that way too about him! But is Worm right? Can I call it love?" she thought to herself as she tried to mask her anger.  
  
"You mustn't believe everything that they say" Arwen said softly from a table.  
  
"Arwen, you aren't angry at me for just liking your fiancé, are you?" Éowyn asked.  
  
"I understand. Aragorn is a great man, but I think Faramir is the man for you, Éowyn. I'm not angry, and I have just one bit of advice in this circumstance. . Just hold on now to what you've got, just the way Aragorn and I held on through all the years. That's all I can tell you. Now, do you want to join us for lunch?" Arwen replied.  
  
"Thanks," Éowyn said as she sat across from Arwen at the lunch table.  
  
  
  
"I'm nervous, and I look horrible in this get-up" Éowyn said the next afternoon at the locker room before the competition began.  
  
"At least these skirts are short enough to attract attention" Gariniwen laughed as she looked at her skirt, which was a bit above her knees.  
  
"You wear skirts shorter than that," Riniwel said.  
  
"I want to wear pants under this" Éowyn said in disgust.  
  
"You're so weird!" Gariniwen exclaimed.  
  
"So what? I don't feel comfortable in this. I'd rather wear one of the dresses I used to wear back in Rohan" Éowyn said.  
  
"Whatever, You'll never fit in if you think that way" Riniwel said just before the doors opened leading to the field and the audience.  
  
Éowyn just shrugged and looked forward to the door. For now, fitting in and oddities wouldn't matter. All she would think about now was doing her best. That was all that mattered.  
  
  
  
"Ooh man, the cheerleaders look hot!" Greg called as he scanned the group of cheerleaders assembling on the field.  
  
Éomer rolled his eyes as he and Lothíriel joined their friends on the bleachers. "That guy needs a hormone adjustment" he remarked.  
  
"Or a new set of brains" Arwen said nonchalantly.  
  
"I can't believe that some of the cheerleaders let him get away with slapping their rears" Irilia said.  
  
"Don't be so vulgar!" Niliwen retorted.  
  
"Well, look who cracks the sickest jokes round here" Lothíriel said.  
  
"Come on, the competition is beginning. I hope that the squad gets their routine right," Aragorn said as he looked towards the field.  
  
"After all their mistakes we saw, I hope that they took our suggestions into consideration" Faramir said.  
  
"Eru knows. Only Éowyn seemed to actually take us seriously" Frodo said.  
  
"She would. She's not like any other cheerleader on the squad" Estella said.  
  
"Yes, but if the other cheerleaders don't do their best or if Gariniwen manages to goof up badly again today, I don't see how we can get to even second place" Irilia said.  
  
"Pessimist" Arwen said before the exhibition began.  
  
  
  
"At least we got second place," Aragorn said later that afternoon after the competition.  
  
"There's always the dance competition. Lothíriel and Éomer could do break-dancing" Éowyn smiled as she entered the room.  
  
"I thought Aragorn and Arwen were going to do rock n' roll dancing" Lothíriel said.  
  
"Never mind that for now. The point is at least you tried your best Éowyn" Éomer said to his sister.  
  
"It's ironic. You hated the squad, yet you did your best, and the girls who were really into it just didn't care at all" Arwen said.  
  
"It must've been the scolding on Wednesday. It's a pity really" Éowyn sighed.  
  
"At least Irilia was wrong back there. Hey, where did my sister go?" Éomer said.  
  
"Hey, she left the room" Arwen remarked.  
  
"Let her be. I think she needs to talk to somebody," Lothíriel said.  
  
  
  
"Aren't you coming inside?" Éowyn asked Faramir as she walked up to him. Éowyn had found him walking alone outside the dormitory looking towards the sunset. Now, the sky was all orange and gold, and in the East, stars were appearing in the sky. It was only about five or so in the afternoon, and it was getting dark.  
  
"I was just thinking of things," Faramir said.  
  
Éowyn took a deep breath. "Such as your brother?" she guessed  
  
"I miss him very much. I feel like things would be so different if he was around now," Faramir said.  
  
"I still wonder why your father even let your brother go on such a quest. But if you'd gone, who knows what could've happened" Éowyn said quietly.  
  
"When my brother stopped by Rohan, did you see him?" Faramir asked curiously  
  
"He wasn't in Edoras for very long. I saw him when he arrived, but I don't think he saw me. He instead went straight to the Hall, asking my brother about the way to Rivendell" Éowyn said, her voice very far-off as if she was remembering that day.  
  
"Did he eventually say anything to you?" Faramir asked.  
  
"Just the usual words of hailing and the usual compliment. But he never asked me to speak more to him, quite unlike you in fact. And everything I'd hear from him would be about the tales of the old battles or about the way to Rivendell" Éowyn said.  
  
"Sounds like the Boromir I knew" Faramir said.  
  
"But he's not very much alike to you. I know you two look alike, but then you both struck me as very different. There's nothing wrong with being a warrior, but even Riders sometimes want to hear the minstrels singing old songs of things other than slaying. You're the only man who ever read the "Lay of Leithan" to me. Not even my own brother could" Éowyn said.  
  
"You still remember that time in Dol Amroth?" Faramir said.  
  
"Of course. It was the night after I first caught you on the roof. We were sitting on the shore, by the waves, and you had your book with you. I wanted to know what you were reading, but at that time, I still couldn't read Sindarin. So you read it to me" Éowyn reminded him.  
  
"I remember, when my mother was still alive, she once read it to my brother and me. Boromir slept right through it. I was sleepy too, but I couldn't fall asleep. And to think I was barely four at that time" Faramir said.  
  
"From the same two parents, yet very different" Éowyn murmured.  
  
"And I was never first in my father's love, not even when my mother was alive. I never competed with my brother though, but even then, I never was really in my father's favor either. No matter how hard I tried to fill in my brother's shoes after he died, I never lived up to my father's expectations. I was always second-best" Faramir said.  
  
"I know what Harim said to you. He told me on my way out. I don't care what he or anybody says. I love only you and you're not the second-best. You never were, but that's just the way people looked at you" Éowyn said  
  
"Sometimes, I wonder if my courage was really lacking compared to my brother's" Faramir said.  
  
"Sometimes it takes more courage to live rather than to let yourself or somebody just give up and die. You have that courage. You never let me go into the dark, and I won't let you stay in the shadow of memory. You're not your brother, you're just yourself. I want you to be the person only you can be" Éowyn said with a strong intensity in her voice.  
  
"I didn't let you go in the dark not because you were my friend. I saw so much in you, and you brought me joy, in a time and place I thought was without hope" Faramir said as he moved closer to her.  
  
"And I see the same things in you too. You love me, and yet you never try to make me into somebody I cannot be" Éowyn said before they kissed.  
  
As they parted, Faramir smiled. "So what's going on in the dorm now?" he asked Éowyn.  
  
"A small "second-place" party. Good to see you're finally back in the present" Éowyn replied as she swatted his arm playfully and they began walking, hand in hand back to the dormitory.  
  
A/N: Long right? I just had to hinge the chapters together as I said. Whew now that's done with. So I hope I got the story back on track (did you notice that in Chapter 12, some characters didn't appear?!) and don't worry, the problems aren't over yet. There's still more to come in Chapter 15 that's more supernatural than this chapter. If anybody can actually guess the word association with the title of this chapter and the characters, I'll give you an appearance in the next chapter. So please review!!! Namarie!  
  
  
  
. 


	15. The Cat is Out of the Bag

A/M: Whew! After a lot of dead plotbunnies, I finally decided to push through with one that lived for more than two days. Well, I'm sorry this took so long because my classmates and teachers sometimes won't stop piling on all sorts of things and the ISP conked out! Well, you folks know that I don't own anybody or anything aside from my original people. Anyhow, this chapter is the beginning of another phase for the whole gang-well, who said life was fair anyway? Do send a review!  
  
  
  
The Cat is Out of the Bag  
  
  
  
"I wonder what's going to happen next in this school," Aragorn said wistfully one day very early in December as he and Arwen were sitting in the hallway of the dormitory. A lot of changes had happened after the party, and now all the students were attempting to cope with all the alterations to schedules, classes and various other aspects of life in the University.  
  
"Even I can't tell what's going to happen next. I'm glad Professor Gandalf caught the balrog some days ago and it died of fright. But what I can't believe is that Professor Goldberry managed to abolish the cheerleading squad," Arwen said.  
  
'What use was there for it anyway? Even my sister loathed it. At least now, Riniwel, Gariniwen and Harim have stopped making pests of themselves," Éomer said as he threw his book bag across the hall.  
  
"Éowyn told me she'd rather be taking up Art" Arwen said as she caught the bag.  
  
"She got the last pick again, as usual. But at least she's in a class she actually enjoys. I guess that taking up art wasn't such a bad choice for her" Éomer said. Éowyn had just gotten accepted into art class, and so far she was enjoying it.  
  
"This has to be a nightmare!" Legolas exclaimed as he came up the stairs.  
  
"What happened? You lost your arrows or something?" Aragorn joked.  
  
"Even worse! It's the Open House!" Legolas announced.  
  
"O-open House?" Éomer asked quizzically.  
  
"It's when your parents or your guardians come over to visit you for two straight months" Arwen said.  
  
"So that means that Thranduil is visiting?" Faramir said as he joined the group.  
  
"Well, thankfully no. But Elladan and Elrohir said that your father is visiting, Arwen!" Legolas said.  
  
"Master Elrond is easy to get along with," Aragorn said.  
  
"Galadriel and Celeborn too are coming" Legolas continued without missing a beat.  
  
"Niliwen, Irilia, Sam, Rose, Pippin, Diamond, Estella, Gimli, Merry, Delilah, Greg, and Wormtongue are absolutely sure their folks aren't coming" Frodo said as he came out of his room.  
  
"So good old Bilbo is coming too?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"Of course he will. So who else is coming to embarrass us?" Pippin joked as he came in through a window.  
  
"Boy, at least your parents aren't around, Éomer" Wormtongue said as he came in. Éomer clenched his fist at this tactless crack.  
  
"Don't be so insensitive!" Arwen scolded Wormtongue as she attempted to keep Éomer's fist from smashing Worm's face. Wormtongue then left the room stealthily.  
  
"At least you have a sister. I'm all alone," Faramir said.  
  
"You still have your cousin Thiri and her father," Éomer reminded him.  
  
"You've got a point there. Speaking about Uncle Imrahil, is he coming at all?" Faramir said.  
  
"He is. That's a good and bad thing," Lothíriel said as she came up the stairs.  
  
"Whoa Faramir! You and Éowyn better be discreet this time around" Éomer laughed.  
  
"Doesn't the same go for you and Lothíriel? At least my uncle had a clue about Éowyn and me. He doesn't know about you and Lothíriel!" Faramir countered.  
  
"Well, I've been remiss in letter writing these days" Lothíriel admitted.  
  
"Never mind. Elrond is staying in the twins' room, Galadriel and Celeborn are sleeping in the spare room, Imrahil is going to be staying with Faramir, Aragorn and Éomer, and Bilbo is staying with Frodo and Sam" Legolas said.  
  
The room layout of Hallway 7 starting from the rooms furthest from the stairway at the end of the hall was such as this: the odd numbered rooms were on the left side, the even numbered rooms on the right. Room 1 belonged to Arwen, Éowyn and Lothíriel while Room 2 (which was across from Room 1) belonged to Aragorn, Faramir and Éomer. Rose, Diamond and Estella stayed in Room 3, Frodo and Sam slept in Room 4 while Merry and Pippin had 5. Room 6 was for Niliwen and Irilia, 7 belonged to Elladan and Elrohir, 8 was Legolas and Gimli's quarters. 9 (the biggest room) belonged to Delilah, 10 belonged to Wormtongue and Greg, and 11 was the spare room.  
  
"Since when did you know about the room arrangements?" Faramir asked in surprise.  
  
"I got it straight from the horse's mouth" Legolas answered.  
  
"That means that Gandalf made the assignments. Just our luck if you ask me" Frodo said.  
  
  
  
Some days later, the guests began to arrive on the campus. The first ones to arrive were Bilbo and Elrond. They arrived early in the morning, even before Arwen, Aragorn. Elladan and Elrohir were awake. A few hours later, around lunchtime, Galadriel and Celeborn came to the campus.  
  
Sundown saw Lothíriel and Éomer chatting in a small room that opened out to a small garden. Just as they were talking, Arwen and Aragorn came running up.  
  
"What's the matter?' Lothíriel asked when she saw her friend.  
  
"Your father just arrived" Arwen said breathlessly. Suddenly, Imrahil appeared behind Aragorn and Arwen.  
  
"Hi papa!" Lothíriel greeted as she ran up to her father and hugged him. Éomer chuckled, since now Lothíriel seemed to be a child again, and not the confident and vivacious woman he'd come to love.  
  
"Well, how is my youngest daughter doing? What have you been doing these past few months?' Imrahil asked as Lothíriel let go of him.  
  
"Too much!" Lothíriel smiled.  
  
"Hello Éomer. It's good to see you again" Imrahil greeted Éomer with a cordial handshake.  
  
"It is good to see you too sir" Éomer said respectfully, since Imrahil was a lot older than he was.  
  
"Where's your cousin Faramir?" Imrahil asked his daughter.  
  
"He's outside in the garden. Some of us were sparring until a few minutes ago" Aragorn piped up.  
  
"Actually, it's only recently that they allowed the older students to have access to the weapons vault just to keep their skills in shape. The professors are always wary though," Éomer explained as he wrapped an arm around Lothíriel's waist.  
  
"I see. I'll meet you four later at supper then," Imrahil said as he left the room. He knew that his daughter and Éomer hadn't been so discreet.  
  
As Imrahil entered the garden, he saw Faramir and Éowyn working on their swordplay. He watched the couple spar for a few minutes and he noticed that it was turning out to be a pretty close match.  
  
"Is this your first time to spar against each other?" Imrahil joked as he leaned against the doorframe.  
  
Faramir and Éowyn abruptly stopped what they were doing and looked at Imrahil in surprise.  
  
"Uncle! I didn't know you were here already," Faramir greeted as he sheathed his sword.  
  
"I heard you boys have been sparring" Imrahil said.  
  
"Actually, it was Éowyn's idea. She insisted on it" Faramir shrugged as he glanced at Éowyn.  
  
"Yes, but you also wanted to join in. It's not like it's your first time to spar" Éowyn retorted.  
  
Imrahil rolled his eyes at this exchange. The camaraderie between these two seemed to have improved over the past months.  
  
"What have you been up to this whole time?" Faramir asked his uncle.  
  
"Nothing much. But I can tell you two have been up to a *lot * " Imrahil said as his eyes wandered to Faramir's hand, which was clasped firmly in Éowyn's.  
  
Éowyn looked at Faramir in wonder at this remark and she realized what they'd been doing. The last time she and Faramir were in Dol Amroth, which was last summer, they hadn't seen too much of Imrahil, so Imrahil had no idea of their romance.  
  
"I have to get going now. It's my turn to pitch in kitchen duty tonight," Éowyn said as she slowly let go of Faramir's hand and went inside. She really wanted to kiss him, but she wasn't quite sure if it was proper under the circumstances.  
  
"Do you have a classmate named Delilah Morgan who says she's from Dunland?" Imrahil asked Faramir after Éowyn left.  
  
"Yes. Why do you ask?" Faramir replied.  
  
"She's not really a Dunlending. She's the youngest child of one of the noble lords of Gondor!" Imrahil whispered.  
  
"And how is it we have never met in our younger years?" Faramir said in wonder. Now it all made sense: Delilah's unnaturally fair skin, and her seemingly un-Dunlendish features and manner. Even the Dunlendings in the university swore that Delilah was not one of their kind.  
  
"A traitorous nursemaid kidnapped her at the age of three. Delilah already knows. Gandalf told her today," Imrahil said somberly.  
  
"I wonder if she is even the least bit sad over the fact that she barely knew her real home. But then again, knowing Delilah, sometimes the strangest emotions take over her" Faramir said.  
  
"Hey Éowyn! Guess what!" Delilah said as she sat on the kitchen counter as Éowyn was attempting to rummage through the fridge for some ingredients. Éowyn looked up in annoyance. Delilah wasn't on kitchen duty at this hour.  
  
"I know. Word's gotten around. You're a lady of Gondor" Éowyn said as she threw aside a half-eaten bag of mushrooms. Pippin and Merry had obviously been snacking again.  
  
"So that means I have all the more right to go for Faramir than you or Niliwen have" Delilah said smugly.  
  
"Just because I'm an Eorlingas, and Niliwen is from Ithilien, that doesn't mean you have to allow your head to swell like a melon" Éowyn reminded her.  
  
"You're just a wild shieldmaiden of the North. You don't deserve Faramir. He deserves a high born lady, not a wild wench," Delilah said.  
  
"And where were you during the War of the Ring? When the Witch-King was before me, and my uncle lay dying, I did what I had to do, though I was afraid. And in the end, I earned some respect for it. If we base our standards for men on high lineage, then I also have the right, since I'm of the royal house of Rohan. Either way, royal lineage or none, it wouldn't matter to either Faramir or I. What reason do you then have to say I don't deserve the man I love?" Éowyn said fiercely.  
  
"I thought you loved Aragorn. Oh yes, the rumor is you're with Wormtongue and Greg at the same time. I know that's true," Delilah said with a devious edge to her voice.  
  
"I am not! I once had feelings for Aragorn, but the way I felt then isn't the way I feel now for Faramir. Besides, why would I go with Wormtongue? He almost drove me to the brink" Éowyn said.  
  
"There is no such thing as love, at least for you" Delilah said.  
  
"I can't believe I'm hearing this from a woman who claims she's from Gondor. I thought you were truth-speakers there," Éowyn said bitterly as she went to the other side of the kitchen, only to bump into Wormtongue and Greg.  
  
"Hey hot chick! What's up?" Greg said as he swept her into his arms.  
  
"Don't call me hot chick," Éowyn said as she wrenched herself away from Greg.  
  
"Well, what shall I call you? I forgot your name," Greg said.  
  
"Her name is Éowyn" Wormtongue hissed as he licked his lips.  
  
Éowyn glared at the two men. "Maybe next time, you should address people by their real names" she said.  
  
"It was an endearment especially for you" Greg lied.  
  
"That can't be any further from truth. I've heard you use that time and again, not just on me, but also on Arwen, Delilah, even Lothíriel," Éowyn said.  
  
"Maybe she is right Greg. Perhaps we should call her "fair lily" " Wormtongue said as he took Éowyn's hand in his own cold one.  
  
Éowyn jerked back her hand quickly. "Stop trying to win me over with empty words. I know how your mind works," she said angrily as she left the two men there. While Greg was just plain insensitive, Wormtongue had a subtle, yet more chilling way of doing things. Éowyn hated that.  
  
  
  
"So how are things with you and your younger cousins?" Bilbo asked Frodo before supper. The hobbits had come early to the dining room, though Éowyn hadn't served the soup yet.  
  
"We're having a good time here. Though sometimes, Pippin and Merry go off with Estella Bolger and Diamond of Long Cleeve" Frodo said absent- mindedly as he glanced at his cousins, who were having an animated discussion with the two aforementioned hobbit lasses.  
  
"Frodo! You weren't supposed to give the game away!" Rose whispered to Frodo in horror.  
  
"They still want to keep their relationships a secret? It's becoming too obvious, it's as good as revealed" Frodo muttered.  
  
"Well, do you think good old Bilbo will tell everyone back at the Shire?" Sam said as he, Rose and Frodo ducked underneath the table to escape Pippin and Merry, who were looking in their direction.  
  
"More likely, some other hobbit studying here might've told the whole Hobbiton about them already" Rose said.  
  
"What are you three doing under there?" Elrond said in surprise as he peered underneath the table.  
  
"Nothing" Sam stammered as they got out from under the furniture.  
  
"Were you trying to escape your friends there?" Elrond asked them.  
  
Sam turned crimson at this. Obviously, Elrond had managed to read their intentions, being the elf lord that he was. Elrond looked at the hobbits intently as if he was trying to read something, and then he left.  
  
"A nice pickle we've all gotten ourselves in. Everyone is trying to hide something here" Sam whispered to Frodo as the former was trying to hide his and Rose's clasped hands when Elrond was seemingly out of earshot.  
  
Frodo looked down briefly and raised an eyebrow. "You and Rose aren't exempted," he said.  
  
"Well, it wouldn't matter. Bilbo and Sam's gaffer and mine found out about Sam and I the last time that we were in the Shire" Rose said.  
  
"Nobody here is really discreet actually. The least discreet couple here is actually a debate between Pippin and Diamond or Merry and Estella" Frodo noted.  
  
"No, Aragorn and Arwen are even less discreet" Rose argued.  
  
"Well, not actually. Everyone knows about them, but actually they don't kiss in public like Éomer and Lothíriel," Sam said.  
  
"Éomer and Lothíriel?" Rose said in surprise.  
  
"I've been seeing them kissing and holding hands," Sam said.  
  
"I have a feeling Imrahil knows already," Frodo said.  
  
"You were saying about hiding something?" Elrond said as he turned back to face the hobbits.  
  
"Umm." Sam began. He wasn't sure how to explain the situation to Elrond.  
  
"Don't worry Sam Gamgee. You three don't have to give me a tale," Elrond said.  
  
"Have your children or Aragorn told you anything?" Rose asked.  
  
"Even while twenty-one of you were in Rivendell, I could see that there were beginnings" Elrond answered.  
  
Frodo sighed. There was no hiding anything from an elf lord.  
  
  
  
After dinner, Éowyn was anxious to get out and have some fun. After all, it was a Friday night, so there was bound to be something going on. But while her plans for the rest of the evening were uncertain, she decided to pass time in a certain place and wait for news of any happening party or get-together.  
  
As she walked down the hallway alone towards the stairwell, she met Faramir, who was going in the opposite direction  
  
"Where are you going?" Éowyn asked him when they met.  
  
"Nowhere in particular. I was looking for you" Faramir answered.  
  
"I'm not doing the dishes tonight. Delilah is taking care of that, nail polish or none," Éowyn said.  
  
"Dinner was good tonight. You did a good job at it," Faramir said.  
  
"You have to be joking. I know more about swords than cooking!" Éowyn laughed.  
  
"I mean it" Faramir said as he gently took both her hands.  
  
Éowyn was about to jerk away her hands when she remembered that it was Faramir, not Wormtongue or Greg who was with her. Éowyn relaxed. She knew that Faramir was telling the truth.  
  
"Thank you. I was hoping you'd like it," Éowyn smiled.  
  
"Well then, what are you up to tonight?" Faramir asked her as he let go of her hands.  
  
"If you're not going anywhere, you can come with me" Éowyn said as she stepped closer to the wall on her left and pulled at a small panel at the bottom of the wall. The panel gave way, revealing a dark space behind it. She promptly peered in and she crawled into the opening.  
  
"You're going up there again?" Faramir asked curiously. After a few seconds, it became clear to him that Éowyn was going to push through with whatever plans she may have, so Faramir followed her in.  
  
They found themselves in a narrow, dark sort of tunnel that stopped at a shaft that led upwards. A knotted rope hung from what seemed to be the top of the shaft.  
  
"The rope is down. Someone let it down, so we don't need to use those handholds" Éowyn whispered as she pointed towards some rough cracks in the wall. She knew that whoever would be the first to use the shaft in one day would have to use the cracks as handholds to reach the rope, which was kept hooked at the top when not in use.  
  
"I wonder who got here before us," Faramir thought aloud as he watched Éowyn start to climb the rope.  
  
"Anybody up there?" Éowyn called as she tapped at the ceiling. All she got in reply were sounds of shuffling feet and chuckles.  
  
"We know there's at least one person up there. Open the door " Faramir called from below.  
  
"Who's there?" a voice asked.  
  
"It's just us" Faramir answered.  
  
"Who's us?" another voice said.  
  
"Niliwen! It's just Faramir and I. Open up before I fall off the rope!" Éowyn yelled in exasperation. Neither she nor Faramir could open the door from where they were. This was because the bar that was normally used to keep the door locked was also used as a door grip, and normally, the first person to enter the room would take the iron bar up too.  
  
"I told you to disguise your voice Niliwen! What's the password?" the first voice said at first sharply, then teasingly.  
  
"What password? There's no password to enter in there!" Faramir said.  
  
"Fine then" Niliwen said as the trapdoor was drawn open to the side. Niliwen and Pippin sat at the edge of the trapdoor, trying to hold back their laughter.  
  
"I should've known it was you Pippin" Faramir said as Éowyn climbed up and he followed.  
  
The room that they'd entered was a curious sort of loft that had long- been hidden from the eyes of professors and students. It had a small window on the far wall, and it was lit with small lights and candles. The wood floor was covered with mats and old sheets from the dormitory room, and was strewn with floor cushions and old pillows. A small table stood in the corner, with two small bottles of ale and five large bottles of rootbeer, and bags of cookies, candy, and crisps on it.  
  
This was the Hideout, a refuge that originally, Pippin, Merry, Estella and Diamond had converted this hidden loft into in case of a major balrog attack. Over time, the students of Hallway 7 helped convert the loft into a pleasant place to sit, chat, and hang out in. All the students of Hallway 7, save for Delilah, Greg and Wormtongue knew about it. It was only accessible through the little shaft that Faramir and Éowyn had passed through.  
  
"You've arrived just in time for some fun," Merry said as he popped up from behind a floor cushion. Sam and Frodo, who were sitting by the table, turned towards the newcomers and quickly forgot about the glasses of ale they'd been drinking.  
  
"You left your guitar here the other day Éowyn. I nearly tripped on it" Niliwen said.  
  
"Good thing I was here first. Hobbits don't relish getting stuck in a shaft with naught but a bit of rope between them and a broken neck" Sam said.  
  
"I can't find the big orange bag I lugged up here last week" Frodo complained.  
  
"I can see it underneath a stack of floor cushions in the corner. Why does it smell like fish?" Éowyn said as she pulled some cushions up to the center of the room and arranged them in a circle.  
  
"Is there another Gollum-like creature in there?" Faramir joked as they took their seats.  
  
"I doubt it. There's something in the bag," Niliwen said as she got up and shook the bag open. Out sprang Sir Bottlebrush the cat, with a bit of fish in its mouth. Niliwen shrieked and dropped the bag.  
  
"He's been missing for two days already. How did he get in here?" Merry wondered as Niliwen scampered back to the circle.  
  
"Well, the window was left open a while ago, when Faramir and Éowyn weren't here yet. I swear I heard something come in," Sam noted as he watched the cat explore the room intently. Sir Bottlebrush looked at the students intently and hissed at them.  
  
"I think that Irilia's cynical attitude is carrying over to the cat," Faramir said as he got up to get a bottle of rootbeer from the table. Suddenly, the cat walked up to the circle and began to rub its long brown fur on whatever he could find.  
  
"Shoo kitty!" Niliwen yelled while she tried to stop the cat from leaving fur on her blue pants.  
  
"I think it likes you" Éowyn smirked as she poured rootbeer into seven glasses and passed them around.  
  
"I noticed it has a particular like for dark-haired people" Merry said.  
  
"That explains a lot. No wonder why it's always springing for Aragorn, Arwen, Faramir, Frodo, Elladan, Elrohir, Niliwen and Lothíriel" Pippin laughed.  
  
"It took you a year to see that?" Faramir asked. He and a good number of the students had already managed to pinpoint the cat's preferences a long time ago.  
  
Merry and Pippin glanced at each other and at their companions. Obviously, they hadn't quite noticed it before. A silence fell on the room, only to be broken by a rather rude burp coming from Niliwen.  
  
"Oops. Excuse me" Niliwen said, her cheeks turning scarlet. Everybody began cracking up really hard, even Éowyn, since Niliwen looked so funny.  
  
"That was bound to happen anyway," Sam said.  
  
"Before you hobbits get weird ideas, I'm going to get my guitar" Éowyn said as she went to the corner where Niliwen had stashed the instrument.  
  
"What weird ideas?" Frodo asked as he put his furry feet up on a floor cushion.  
  
"Do you hobbits ever shave your foot hair?" Niliwen asked as she looked at Frodo's feet.  
  
"Do we need to? It gives an excuse to go barefoot indoors at least," Sam said matter-of-factly.  
  
Soon, the conversation turned to a series of rather wild and hilarious jests, punctuated by snatches of guitar music and cat chasing, whenever the laughter had stopped.  
  
After one particularly hilarious anecdote from Merry concerning one of Frodo's ill-fated trips to Farmer Maggot's farm, Niliwen had enough sense to look at her watch.  
  
"It's ten 'o clock--and we're thirty minutes late for a party" Niliwen said.  
  
"It's not Delilah's "look at me, I'm a highbred lady" party, I hope" Éowyn said.  
  
"Nope, we're talking about Estella's party. She says it's going to good," Merry said.  
  
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Pippin said as they opened the trapdoor and began to go down the rope, first Faramir, then followed by Pippin, Merry, Éowyn, Frodo, Niliwen, then Sam.  
  
When Faramir reached the bottom, and opened the door a crack, he quickly closed it again.  
  
"What was that for?" Éowyn asked in surprise.  
  
"Some people are outside. They're blocking the doorway" Faramir whispered.  
  
Merry listened keenly to some of the hushed conversation. "It's Bilbo Baggins along with Lord Celeborn, Lady Galadriel," he informed them.  
  
"Well, are we going to sit in here till they leave?" Frodo asked as he absent-mindedly swung the end of the rope.  
  
"Mister Frodo! I'm still hanging on to the rope!" Sam complained.  
  
"Don't slip, whatever you do" Pippin pleaded.  
  
"I can't hang on much longer," Sam said as he tried to avoid kicking Niliwen's head.  
  
"If someone else reaches the bottom of the tunnel, we're going to be in an awful fix" Éowyn said. After he said this, a couple of thuds were heard, followed by a lot of shoving and complaints. One minute, they were all orderly waiting either on the rope or in a line towards the door, the next, they were all out the door in a heap.  
  
When the students got their bearings, they realized they had all fallen into the hallway, and ended up tripping up Bilbo, Galadriel and Celeborn. Everyone was on the floor, looking either annoyed or surprised.  
  
"Sam! Did you have to let go of the rope?!" Niliwen screeched.  
  
"Were all seven of you eavesdropping?" Bilbo asked them.  
  
"I heard a little bit," Merry said, with a guilty look on his face.  
  
"Never mind. Most of our talk was simple jests" Bilbo laughed.  
  
"How did all of you come there?" Celeborn asked.  
  
"There's a passage in the wall," Galadriel said without missing a beat as she got up and smoothed down her silvery gown.  
  
"It looks like it's no secret anymore" Frodo whispered to Sam.  
  
"Apparently, nobody can keep a secret here for more than a few weeks, or a few months at best," Pippin said as he sat down and petted a purring Sir Bottlebrush.  
  
"I know. I've also read many minds here. I knew you were in there too," Galadriel said.  
  
"Creepy" Éowyn mumbled.  
  
"Well, elves can perceive thought" Merry remarked.  
  
"Where were you going?" Niliwen asked.  
  
"My grandson Elladan told me about the mini-library. We were going to see what books of lore are kept there," Celeborn said.  
  
"Are any of you guys still up to party?" Pippin asked Frodo.  
  
"If we're not all bruised up that is," Frodo said.  
  
"Hey guys! Want to go to my party?" Delilah called from her room.  
  
"I think we have to go. Good evening!" Frodo said hastily as they all got up and went their own ways-the older ones to the library and the younger ones downstairs to have some fun.  
  
  
  
A/N: Am so sorry if this was so short! Well, the real complications and implications are for next chapter: I had to kill the cheerleader subplot. Well, do review, otherwise I will send some Oliphaunts after you! 


	16. The Real Storm is Indoors

A/N: I should've gotten it up sooner, but my computer's been a tad jumpy these days and school and exams are taking their toll along with annoying nuzguls. Consider this as my Christmas chapter; most probably, my next post will be early in January. Well, I so do not own anything made by Tolkien. Well, so sit back, send a review (please, my nuzguls are starving!) and enjoy this sweet sixteenth chapter, now that I've rounded up the whole gang.  
  
  
  
The Real Storm Is Indoors  
  
As the days wore by, and the storms worsened to an even greater degree than those of last year, it wasn't long before all sorts of things befell the students of the dormitory and their guests. This was the result of cold weather and being kept indoors with enemies for too long. And there was no perfect day for all the mayhem in Utumno to break loose than on one frigid and wild day a week after the guests' arrivals.  
  
"What are you doing?" Gimli asked Elladan very early that morning. The elf was busy painting glimmering white dots on a dark blue cloth that lay on the hallway floor. Gimli noticed that the bottle of paint was marked: Mithril laced.  
  
"I'm making stars. I just don't see them anymore" Elladan admitted sheepishly as he held up the cloth. Suddenly, Irilia staggered by, clad all in black.  
  
"What's going on?" Gimli asked the girl.  
  
"Shield me from the light!" Irilia gasped as she fell to the floor. "The light is killing me. I need darkness" she continued softly.  
  
Elladan quickly blindfolded Irilia and went with Gimli towards the place where Irilia had come from. They entered Irilia's room and found Niliwen sitting there, with all the lights on.  
  
"What are you doing?" Elladan asked Niliwen.  
  
"The winter is so gray, so I need the light" Niliwen said and she sprang up from her perch on the bookshelf.  
  
"Well, so whose idea was it to put those two as roommates?" Elladan said as he shut the door. "Irilia may have Orc-blood in her" he joked.  
  
"I doubt it" Gimli said. "She confessed to me she had a macabre taste". Suddenly, the lights went out.  
  
"Oh yes! Darkness! Darkness!" Irilia whooped from somewhere in the hall.  
  
"Eru help! She's going nuts!" Niliwen yelled as she ran out of her room and around the hallway.  
  
"Everybody alright?" Aragorn asked calmly as he came up the stairs.  
  
"I'm amazed at how calm you are under these circumstances" Elladan said to his foster brother.  
  
"If you think this is bad, then see what's downstairs" Aragorn said. By now, nearly everyone's eyes had adjusted to the dark, and they could see each other's outline. After a few minutes, the group crept down the stairs. Just when they were around five steps from the bottom, Irilia suddenly stumbled, sending two women, one Dunedan, one elf and one dwarf down the stairs.  
  
"Call that a girl with Orc-blood?" Gimli asked Elladan when he finally extricated himself from the tangle of arms, legs and greasy hair.  
  
"I can't believe nobody can admire my new shoes!" Delilah complained from somewhere in the dark.  
  
"Oh Varda, please don't let it be her!" Elladan muttered under his breath.  
  
"At least she stopped wailing at the top of her lungs" Aragorn said as he finally got out from under Elladan.  
  
A collective shudder ran down the listeners' spines. Delilah was big trouble when she was loud.  
  
Hours later at breakfast time, the lights still hadn't come back on, but more people were awakening. Classes had officially been called off for the day (though it was rumored that Wormtongue had been seen creeping out of Professor Gandalf's office with a bottle of sleeping pills). Lots of students tried to get out of their bedrooms without disturbing their friends in the adjoining room. The interiors of dorm rooms were laid out as such: from the main door of the room, there was a common living area that opened out to the bathroom at the side. Across from the main door to the room were 2-3 doors, which would be the bedrooms. Guests usually slept on a sofa bed. Friends and other students were allowed in common living areas, but that was as far as even the most daring students would go.  
  
  
  
A cold wind blew through a bedroom window following the tinkling of glass, awakening Éowyn from her slumber. "That's strange. Did I leave the window open?" she thought sleepily. But then, a clammy hand on her arm brought her to full consciousness and she nearly tumbled out of bed in shock. Wormtongue was there, with a perversely pleasured light in his eyes.  
  
"My lady," he began, until Éowyn's palm nearly hit his face with full force. But Wormtongue grabbed her hand and kissed it insidiously. Éowyn jerked her hand away in repulsion and loathing. She realized one of his fingernails had cut through her skin, how was that so she did not know.  
  
"You should have more manners than to awaken me so! Nobody except I ever come in here without my leave, least of all you!" she scolded.  
  
"My business is here" Wormtongue said icily.  
  
"Then you should've at least knocked, instead of smashing my window," Éowyn pointed out, her gray eyes briefly wandering to her now shattered window. She noticed a hammer on the floor.  
  
"You cannot run, lady. I will always be nearby" Wormtongue said as he moved to block the door.  
  
"I have business to do, classes or none" Éowyn said hotly as she tried to overtake him. But Wormtongue succeeded in pinning her to the wall, pressing his body against hers. Éowyn could feel the heat from his body and she felt burnt by his touch.  
  
"It would be much better for you Éowyn" he hissed into her ear as his hand gripped her arm tightly, causing a few small bruises, "if you stopped denying what is in you", he continued. .  
  
He suddenly released her and slipped out, leaving her alone in horror. The one place in school that she could hold as her own, even for a little while, was no longer safe for the White Lady of Rohan.  
  
  
  
"Something is strange about my sister today" Éomer said as he and Lothíriel sat on the stairs later that day. It was after dinner, and everybody else was off on some important business. It was still dark in the dorm and there were no lights.  
  
"I noticed. Either she's sick or there's something really bad on her mind," Lothíriel said. Éowyn had been extraordinarily silent the whole day.  
  
"I've seen her become quiet at times, but it was a different sort of quiet back then; as if she was at ease, which is the exact opposite of what is going on," Éomer said.  
  
"Well, it looks like you're finally getting to understand your sister" Faramir said as he joined them.  
  
"You were able to talk to her in the Houses of Healing" Lothíriel noted.  
  
Before Faramir could say anything, a hubbub of hobbit voices rang through the hallway upstairs.  
  
"Honestly, we were just joking. Frodo and Sam aren't gay!' Estella said amid chuckles.  
  
"Well, how can I be gay if I'm with Rose?" Sam reminded her.  
  
"Maybe he's two timing" Pippin laughed.  
  
"I'm not" Sam protested.  
  
"Besides, I found a love note from a girl in Frodo's drawer" Merry said.  
  
"I don't know who left that" Frodo said.  
  
"Riiigghhhtttt" the younger hobbits said in unison. Below them on the stairs, Éomer and Faramir had to stop Lothíriel from giggling. But unfortunately, Lothíriel ended up laughing out loud the minute the men let go of her.  
  
"How long have you three been eavesdropping?" Diamond called to the three humans perched on the stairs.  
  
"Not very long" Faramir said sincerely before Lothíriel tried to gag him.  
  
"Don't worry, Faramir *knows * that Frodo is not gay" Lothíriel shouted as the hobbits joined them on the stairs.  
  
"Honestly Diamond, I have no idea who wrote that" Frodo said as he pulled the note out of his pocket and showed it around.  
  
"It's Pippin's handwriting badly disguised" Sam said after examining the paper.  
  
"Pippin! That wasn't funny" Diamond scolded Pippin. Frodo shrugged indifferently at this.  
  
After some small talk, the hobbits left for the kitchen, and Faramir went upstairs. As he returned to Hallway 7, he heard the sound of someone sobbing inside a dorm room, the girls' room. He decided to enter the common living area, since he'd left his Literature book there the night before after a literary lesson with Arwen and Aragorn. As he entered the room, he noticed the sound was coming from inside a bedroom.  
  
"Who's there?" he asked at the same time whoever it was in the room asked him. Whoever was in there seemed to have stopped crying upon becoming aware of his presence.  
  
"Éowyn" Faramir said to himself in surprise after recognizing the voice. He was relieved to hear her speak, even accidentally. In the poor light, he could see her sitting on the floor by the window. Without really thinking of it, Faramir entered the room quietly and sat down beside her.  
  
But then his senses got the better of him, and he began to get up to leave. But Éowyn put her hand on his arm and looked at him in the face.  
  
"You can stay if you like" she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.  
  
"I don't know if it's right for me to be here" Faramir said. "Perhaps we should go somewhere else to talk"  
  
"No place is safe anymore" Éowyn said with utmost seriousness and pain in her voice. Faramir wondered at this as he reached for her hand. What they were in now was such a contrast to what had been yesterday.  
  
Yesterday, the weather was pretty fair for winter. The sun was out, but a pleasantly cool wind blew. Yesterday, Éowyn's smile might've rivaled the sun's light as she, Faramir, Éomer and Lothíriel had gone riding. Yesterday, Lothíriel and Éomer's laughter was louder than the wind. The weather's peace was nothing compared to the tranquility and ease Faramir felt with his closest friends. Yesterday was something like spring.  
  
But now a bitter chill lay upon the dorm, and though there had been a bit of laughter in the morning, it seemed to choke and die too soon. And so it seemed with Éowyn.  
  
"What do you mean?" Faramir asked hesitantly. Just then, he noticed a shard of broken glass lying on the floor not far from where he sat. And he noticed that Eowyn's jacket was off, and there were bruises on one of her arms. Suddenly, it made sense to him what was troubling his beloved. But he knew not who had done this to her.  
  
"I never thought he could sink so low. As if his words weren't poisoned enough!" Éowyn said, speaking more to herself than to Faramir.  
  
"Well, why else did you and Éomer call him Wormtongue?" Faramir quipped as he tried to hide the rage welling up with him, now that he knew who was responsible.  
  
Éowyn smiled and chuckled a bit. "Actually, it was just a jest at first. At first, before I realized that I was alone and in danger" she said and she shivered as she remembered just what had happened that morning. "If only it was all a dream, my love" she continued as she looked at the bruises on her arm, and the cut on her hand.  
  
Faramir pulled her close and held her tight. Éowyn clung to him, not wanting him to let go of her. As the story gradually unfolded amid Éowyn's choked up sobs, Faramir realized that the whole day, Éowyn had put up a brave, if not stony façade for fear that someone might find out, and knowing how Wormtongue was, could have disastrous consequences. But there was only so much a person, even one as strong as Éowyn, could take when it came to nightmares that never seemed to go away.  
  
They stayed like this for quite some time, locked in a tender embrace, and all of a sudden, a knock sounded on the door.  
  
"Éowyn, there's a party going on downstairs! Care to come?" Lothíriel's voice rang through the darkness.  
  
"It's going to be a candle party, I bet" Éowyn said as she reluctantly let go of Faramir, who patted her hand affectionately.  
  
"For a while, I thought you were falling asleep already. But perhaps not" Faramir said softly as he helped her up and they walked to the door.  
  
"How are we going to explain this to Éomer, Lothíriel and your uncle?" Éowyn whispered as she tried to peek through her keyhole should Lothíriel be outside. "I don't hear your cousin, so maybe we can open-," Éowyn said, and suddenly, the door opened.  
  
"Looks like my hearing was right. What have you two been up to in there?" Lothíriel asked.  
  
"We were just talking" Faramir replied innocently.  
  
"Riiigghhhhttttt" Lothíriel drawled mockingly. "And there are lights on---oh alright, I heard a bit of it, that part that "if only it was a dream", and I don't get it," she admitted.  
  
"It's a personal matter" Éowyn said.  
  
"And you told my cousin about it?" Lothíriel asked skeptically.  
  
"You'd also tell Éomer anything too" Éowyn said.  
  
"Never mind. So are you two coming down?" Lothíriel continued lightly without missing a beat.  
  
  
  
Thankfully, the party was rather tame as compared to the past few ones. And everyone was hoping that the next few days would bring fair weather and warmth. However, that was going to be the exact opposite of what would unfold.  
  
"Someone stole my mushrooms!" Frodo yelled from inside his room as he raided his drawers and closet in search of his favorite food some days later.  
  
"Maybe you misplaced them Mister Frodo" Sam said. Frodo shot him a death glare.  
  
"I was just joking about the Mister Frodo part. But really, you might've misplaced them" Sam said defensively.  
  
"Have any of you Halflings seen any bottles of brandy around?" Imrahil asked as he opened the dorm room door a crack.  
  
"You mean those bottles of brandy you brought from Dol Amroth?" Frodo said.  
  
"Those blue glass bottles with white bands around them?" Sam continued.  
  
"Yes, those bottles. That stuff is pretty strong, so it can be dangerous if one drinks too much," Imrahil said hopefully.  
  
"We haven't seen them" the hobbits said in chorus.  
  
"I guess that leaves me wondering who might've taken them. I've warned Lothíriel about them, and Faramir and Aragorn have better sense than to get into that" Imrahil said. "All the elves swore they haven't seen them, and your hobbit friends and the Rohirrim say they don't drink brandy," Imrahil sighed. All sorts of inanities had transpired in the dormitory during the storm.  
  
Suddenly, Sir Bottlebrush shot in through the window, breaking more glass. The two hobbits practically jumped out of their seats as Imrahil nabbed the cat.  
  
"We need to get some glass for this window" Frodo said as he shook his head. Sam closed the drapes in an attempt to keep the snow out, and followed Imrahil and Frodo out into the darkness.  
  
When they arrived at the storage room, they were dismayed to find that there were no more glass panels for use.  
  
"How many windows have been broken anyway? I swore there was one here days ago!" Sam said indignantly, not knowing that Éowyn had taken the glass to repair her window.  
  
"Someone left a toolbox here on the floor. Wait a minute, this is the box marked Hallway 7" Imrahil said as he opened the box.  
  
"The toolboxes are supposed to be on the shelf. There's a hammer missing," Frodo said. Suddenly, they heard the sound of light but hurried footsteps coming towards them.  
  
"Ai! Thieves!" Legolas yelled as he approached them.  
  
"We're not thieves, Legolas. It's just us!" Sam said.  
  
"Some things have gone missing. And it's mostly food" Legolas said.  
  
"I know. Someone got my brandy" Imrahil said. "I'd been saving it for a special occasion,"  
  
After they searched the storage room more, they went back upstairs. On their way up, they heard some laughter and indignant shouts from the staircase. They saw Pippin and Merry, with their bare hands stuck to metal poles, and Irilia, Gimli, Niliwen convulsed in laughter at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Come on you three. That is certainly not funny" Rose said seriously as she, Estella and Diamond arrived on the scene.  
  
"I've been trying to find a solution, but Niliwen and Irilia just won't stop laughing" Gimli chuckled.  
  
"Well, you and Irilia dared them to stick their hands" Niliwen laughed.  
  
"Hey, it was only fair since we dared them too" Merry yelled.  
  
"Maybe you should try to put something warm on your hands" Estella suggested.  
  
"Tried" Pippin said.  
  
"How about a hand massage?" Diamond said.  
  
"Tried that too. We haven't tried one thing though: pulling them" Gimli said.  
  
"Maybe we should" Irilia cackled.  
  
"That's going to hurt!" Merry, Pippin, Niliwen, Frodo, Sam, Imrahil, Rose, Diamond, Estella said at the same time.  
  
"Or maybe we can just dangle this bag of mushrooms over you two" Irilia began.  
  
"On second thought Merry.." Pippin said.  
  
"Okay, maybe that wasn't such a good idea" Irilia said that evening. The dorm was still in darkness, the sleet raged outside, and temperatures were dropping fast, prompting many students to light fires and candles.  
  
"It sure wasn't. Sam said to look for Gandalf, but did you listen?" Pippin said as he glanced at his bandaged hand, which was the unfortunate result of several attempts to free the hobbits, which resulted in extremely sore hands.  
  
"Obviously not. Now Estella *has* to spoon-feed me" Merry muttered.  
  
"You know, that's not so bad as compared to what happened yesterday" Arwen said with pity in her voice as she entered the room.  
  
"Oh you mean what happened to Greg's soccer shoes? Elrohir nearly got flayed alive!" Celeborn said.  
  
"Had not I separated those two," Galadriel added.  
  
"No, someone's window was broken some days ago," Imrahil piped up.  
  
"I didn't hear of that" Arwen said in surprise.  
  
"Well, what I noticed is that some strange things have befallen some people here. Everyone is not as cheery as the days before the storm," Bilbo observed.  
  
After some speculation on the broken window and who might've been the culprit of the incident and the thefts, the room began to fill up with students looking for stolen items, or simply seeking a way out of the cold.  
  
After a while, Imrahil realized just where his brandy and the mushrooms had gone to when he saw some students looking rather tipsy after drinking what appeared to be fruit drink and rather satiated with mushroom bits around their mouths. Fortunately a good number of the students were pretty sober, but then again, most of these were the students who had a visitor/relative/best friend who would surely get on their cases for getting drunk.  
  
"Was that your brandy Delilah put in there, uncle?" Faramir asked his uncle as he and Éowyn entered the room and sat with Imrahil at a small table.  
  
"How did you know it was Delilah who put it in?" Imrahil asked skeptically.  
  
"Rule 1 in Hallway 7 is to keep your secrets, drinks, food, and most especially your private stuff to yourself, or at worst to your closest friends, as in those who you could really trust" Éowyn pointed out as she put her hands on the table.  
  
"What happened to your hand?" Imrahil asked her. Éowyn then realized that the wound on her hand was still obvious.  
  
"Something happened" Éowyn replied indifferently.  
  
"Anything to do with a broken window perhaps?" Imrahil pressed on.  
  
"How did you know about the broken window?" Faramir asked in surprise.  
  
"I took the replacement pane," Éowyn said. Imrahil nodded. He wasn't about to get into the details. But one thing he knew for sure was that Éowyn did not use the hall toolbox's hammer, since Éowyn and Éomer had their own toolbox.  
  
Imrahil simply told the story of Frodo's broken window just for the sake of answering his nephew's question. Suddenly, Greg came upon them.  
  
"Well, it looks like a certain hot chick here has a good tale to tell concerning my buddy" Greg boomed.  
  
"Greg, I wouldn't be surprised if you knew where Wormtongue was yesterday morning" Éowyn said icily.  
  
"He said he was going to pay a call to a certain fair lady. But since his call failed, would you care to dance on my loveboat, hot chick?' Greg offered.  
  
"Greg Adamson!" Delilah Morgan slurred loudly from the other end of the room.  
  
"Coming my dear!' Greg yelled as he left them.  
  
"Who is that girl really with?" Imrahil asked.  
  
"Only Eru and Varda know" Faramir said, shaking his head.  
  
"Well, I'm going to go and investigate where that brandy went" Imrahil said.  
  
"Any suspects?" Éowyn asked.  
  
Imrahil nodded before he walked off. Faramir and Éowyn exchanged knowing glances. It was easy to figure out some of the students' drinking habits.  
  
Éowyn left Faramir for a while to get a drink of root beer, and Faramir went out of the room to get a book to read. He looked back before leaving and saw Éowyn standing by the fireplace as she waited for some people to finish with pouring drinks. Her golden hair shone in the firelight like melted gold, and a lovely, yet peaceful smile was on her face. Perhaps the weather would soon be the same, Valar willing.  
  
"Who are you looking at?" he heard a slurring voice beside him say. Faramir looked to see Delilah, weaving a little bit from the brandy.  
  
Before Faramir could answer, Delilah gave him an icy look that seemed to answer her own question. "You do not really love her. She is not worthy of your love" Delilah said fiercely.  
  
"What reason do you have to say that?" Faramir asked.  
  
"Should a high lord such as you bend to the level of a wild shield- maiden?" Delilah retorted scornfully.  
  
"I would" Faramir said.  
  
"Then why wouldn't you want me, a lady high too?" Delilah said.  
  
Faramir had to think his reply over very carefully. True, Delilah was also of a high house, but then that was all she really cared about.  
  
"Am I not beautiful? What does that deserter from the North have that I don't?" Delilah said.  
  
"Hey chick! What are you doing with that loser?" Greg called.  
  
"Finding some loving," Delilah whispered defiantly. But then, Greg muscled his way to them and seized Delilah by the arm rudely.  
  
"Get lost, and stop muscling in on my woman" Greg snarled at Faramir.  
  
"I wasn't doing anything" Faramir said defensively.  
  
"Come on girl, what are you doing with this loser?" Greg said as he whisked Delilah off. Faramir couldn't help but feel sorry for Delilah. Perhaps Delilah didn't realize it yet, but Greg didn't exactly treat her as a lady of any kind should be treated.  
  
These thoughts lingered in Faramir's mind when he returned to the sitting room a while later and sat down to read. Just when he was getting into the gist of the book, he heard some laughs and shouts coming from the drinks table. He looked up from his book and saw Merry and Pippin spraying Irilia and Gimli and Niliwen with soda in revenge for the ill-fated prank, and some bystanders, including Éowyn, Éomer and Lothíriel, were laughing really hard. Faramir smiled to himself. At least the days were getting cheerier.  
  
Suddenly, a screech came from one side of the room followed by screams of agony. Faramir went over to look, and instead bumped into Aragorn.  
  
"What happened?" Faramir asked.  
  
"We have to stop those students" Aragorn said frantically.  
  
"Why? It's just Irilia, Gimli, Niliwen and Legolas" Faramir said as he looked at the culprits.  
  
"They have a song stuck in their heads" Arwen said from behind Aragorn.  
  
"What song?" Faramir asked.  
  
"They call it "the song that does not end" ! We need help." Aragorn said.  
  
"Or it's going to plague all of us" Arwen said.  
  
Faramir gulped. This was going to be harder than it looked.  
  
  
  
A/N: Kinda nuts, I know. But ever have a song stuck in your head? Anyway, this is my Christmas post. Will update when possible. See ya! Have a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year! Please review, and that's the best gift you can give! 


	17. The Storm Breaks

A/N: A Happy New Year to all of you here! I'm finally back to normal life, and with it comes this chapter! Those nuzguls followed me all over, and I had to do something about all of them. Well, thanks to those who reviewed, because you folks really made my Christmas (especially FPG, because she reacted the way I hoped you folks would react about the last chapter). Anyway, shall we get on with the usual drill? You all know that thirteen year olds do not own LOTR. Nor do I own the song that does not end. Here's how it goes: "This is the song that does not end/It will go on and on my friend/Some people started singing it without knowing what it was/ and they'll continue singing it forever just because.(repeat whole thing again and again!)  
  
  
  
The Storm Breaks  
  
"Wait till I get my hands on that snake!" Éomer said angrily later that same evening as he looked around the room.  
  
"Brother, please control yourself! That's why I didn't tell you at first" Éowyn said as she put three mugs of bubbling fruit drink on the table. She'd just finished recounting her story to Éomer and Lothíriel, and her brother's reaction was just as she'd expected.  
  
"Why did you bring three mugs?" Faramir asked Éowyn curiously.  
  
"There's one for me, one for Éomer, and one for you," Éowyn answered. "I thought you might want it"  
  
"Thank you" Faramir said and he kissed her cheek gently.  
  
"That brute is not going to get away with it, as long as I am alive" Éomer continued.  
  
"I didn't tell you because knowing you, would throttle Wormtongue right away. I do not want you to get into trouble" Éowyn retorted.  
  
"It's just like we were back in Edoras! I knew about it, but I couldn't slay him for fear of the law of the Hall. And even here it's the same," Éomer muttered.  
  
"At least in here, you and Éowyn have chances to speak up and do something about it," Lothíriel said as she put an arm around Éomer.  
  
"I wouldn't go around shouting it out to all Arda, but if anyone asked me about it, I would tell them the truth," Éowyn said.  
  
"And why is it you never told me when I asked you? And you told my father and my cousin the whole story, but not me?" Lothíriel shot back as she let go of her own beloved.  
  
"You wouldn't understand such matters" Éomer said.  
  
"I'm tired of hearing 'you wouldn't understand' from everyone here, just because in experience, I am sheltered! I couldn't help being sheltered from the War. I sometimes wish I was you Éowyn, a heroine, and a brave shield-maiden" Lothíriel said fiercely.  
  
"I would think twice before saying that. It's not easy being me, I tell you," Éowyn said. "But Lothíriel, you are less sheltered than you think you are. You learned the whole truth right here, but your father only knows that a window broke, but not who did it. And I'm sorry if I didn't tell you when you asked,"  
  
"He has a clue" Lothíriel informed her friend. "He told me that he knew it wasn't you who broke it"  
  
Suddenly, Niliwen and Legolas staggered by, singing "the song that doesn't end" over and over again. The four listeners quickly covered their ears.  
  
"We're going to have to find a cure fast before this gets worse" Faramir said.  
  
"I can't hear you!" Éowyn yelled.  
  
"It looks like it has gotten worse" Lothíriel groaned as she looked around and saw more students singing the song. The four students quickly left the room and made their way to the Hideout to escape the musical madness, bringing their drinks with them  
  
"Were where we before they showed up?" Éomer finally asked when they were finally comfortable in the Hideout, though it was all dark in there, save for the faint light of a small candle.  
  
"Talking about the fact that my uncle somehow knows what happened between Éowyn and Wormtongue" Faramir replied as he shook his head. "I know that the Elves are mighty and gracious, but it's hard to speak of them reverently when they're in such a condition like the one Legolas is in"  
  
"To think we have friends among the Elves" Éomer remarked.  
  
"But at least some, or if not many, of us here are not as estranged from the Eldar as compared to the days before the War," Faramir noted before taking a sip of his drink.  
  
"Well, there might be another union of Elves and Men if Aragorn and Arwen get their way" Lothíriel said.  
  
"They will. Faithfulness such as theirs never is in vain" Faramir said.  
  
The dreaded sound of the ever-repeating song began to seep through the floorboards after a while. Suddenly, a knock sounded at the trapdoor.  
  
"If you're going to serenade us with that song, then go away!" Éowyn called.  
  
"Did I scare you?" Pippin said.  
  
"How did you sing that song without it cleaving to your brain?" Faramir asked.  
  
"Earplugs" Pippin replied.  
  
Then, the sound of shouts and spells being called rang through the hallway. Pippin, followed by the four students quickly went down the shaft and into the hallway, only to be greeted by a shocking sight.  
  
On one end of the hallway, Professor Gandalf, clad in pajamas with elvish writing and furry slippers, stood with his staff. Professor Saruman was at the other end, also with his staff and his own pair of furry slippers, but he was wearing pajamas with red polka dots on them. Both wizards were calling spells on each other, and successfully evading the other's attack.  
  
"What's happened here?" Éowyn asked Arwen, Galadriel, Celeborn and Aragorn, who were trying to dodge the crossfire.  
  
"It seems as if Saruman refuses to pay up again. Goldberry has warned him time and again not to gamble, but does he listen?" Galadriel replied.  
  
"It's only going to end when either of them gets turned into something unusual" Aragorn said as he ducked a fireball sailing above his head.  
  
Just then, Gandalf ducked into a room, causing Saruman's spell to bounce off the door and turn a vase into a crebain donning flowers. Saruman furiously stormed to his own quarters, and Gandalf emerged not long after and went to his own room.  
  
"Perhaps we should follow their example too and retire for the night" Celeborn suggested.  
  
"Minus the scary pajamas, I hope" Arwen said.  
  
  
  
The weather was no better the next day, and the days after that. And once again, the music storm reared its ugly head, causing some students to try and take action.  
  
"Perhaps we should pass that accursed song on to Wormtongue. Then he'd get a taste of some medicine" Éomer said one morning.  
  
"I thought that over, and it's not going to be a good idea. With that song in his head, it can be a weapon of mass destruction. And we're going to be the first victims of it" Faramir pointed out.  
  
"We have to find a way to get the song out of the singers' heads, not to pass it on" Aragorn reminded them.  
  
"We have to do something to help them forget about it" Faramir said.  
  
"I can ask Estella, Diamond, Pippin, and Merry to throw a party tonight and invite everyone over" Aragorn suggested.  
  
"And my cousin She's great with these things" Faramir added.  
  
"It sounds like a good idea, especially with the music" Éomer said.  
  
"No war songs please, my friend. We get enough of those in the hallway" Aragorn said. There were only two Rohirrim in Hallway 7, but two was enough to give the whole hall a sampling of Rohan's oral literary traditions.  
  
"What better time than tonight? Isn't it mettarë today?" Faramir said.  
  
"You actually remembered? I'm surprised you still have a sense of time!" Éomer said.  
  
"If the storm doesn't clear up soon, we are going to see worse things. I shall be happy to see grass again when the storm clears," Aragorn sighed as he left the room.  
  
  
  
"So this isn't just a mettarë party, Estel? " Arwen said in surprise later that evening.  
  
"You can call it that if you wish to," Aragorn remarked as he sat down beside Arwen. The couple was sitting at the bar, and surveying the scene while taking a break from dancing. Some of the students had successfully gotten the song out of their heads, but others still sang inanely from various spots in the room.  
  
"You owe me one, my liege" Lothíriel said as she and Éomer joined them.  
  
"Thiri, we can drop all the "my lord" and "my lady" greetings and titles here" Éomer said.  
  
"Very well then, my lord" Lothíriel continued lightly.  
  
"How's the party going?" Estella said as she passed by.  
  
"Fine!" Arwen called as the hobbit disappeared into the crowd.  
  
The four students discussed some trivial matters for a while, until Faramir and Éowyn arrived on the scene hand in hand, with all the hobbits in tow.  
  
"Were you two hobbit-sitting or what?" Lothíriel joked.  
  
"On the contrary, we were getting them out of the clutches of Irilia and Gimli" Sam said.  
  
"Sam, you really are a bit paranoid. They were just singing *that* song" Rose said calmly.  
  
"I seriously wonder why she manages to remain so composed even under the tensest situation" Diamond mused.  
  
"Unlike you" Pippin quipped just before Diamond gave him a playful slap on the arm.  
  
Merry rolled his eyes. "We're months away from that crazy play we put on. My ears are still ringing with the music from that" he said.  
  
"At least we were all in on it, cousin" Frodo reminded him.  
  
"You Halflings convinced, or should I say, forced, me and Éowyn into the lead roles" Faramir said as he got some nuts from a bowl at the bar.  
  
"At least we all had a good time!" the hobbits said in chorus.  
  
"So what would you people want to drink?" the bartender asked the group.  
  
"Nothing alcoholic" Éowyn murmured under her breath.  
  
"How typical of you" sneered a voice that Éowyn dreaded very greatly to hear.  
  
"I am not as innocent as you think I am," Éowyn retorted as Delilah seated herself on the bar.  
  
"Hey lady, there is such a thing as chairs!' the bartender yelled at Delilah as he handed out glasses of hot chocolate. The young woman looked like she'd had more than enough drinks for the evening, and the worst part was the night was still pretty young.  
  
"So what do you cuties have for me tonight?" Delilah crooned as she eyed Aragorn.  
  
"Might I remind you, miss, that your boyfriend was looking for you a while ago?" Elladan said as he and Elrohir joined them.  
  
"Greg can go flush himself into the sewer for all I care. I want someone right here" Delilah said as she gave Faramir a "come-hither" look.  
  
"Delilah, we all thought that you and Greg are a couple" Elrohir said.  
  
"It's just a matter of convenience, you low-life. I am not satisfied in this partnership" Delilah said.  
  
"Well, before you go for my cousin or any other guy for that matter, why don't you break it off with Greg?" Lothíriel reasoned.  
  
"Honestly, who can keep just one relationship at a time?" Delilah wondered.  
  
"My sister here can" Elladan said. Delilah gave Arwen an annoyed glare.  
  
"Anyway, where's Wormy?" Delilah cooed. Éowyn and Éomer nearly choked on their drinks at the mention of this.  
  
"You mean Wormtongue?" Faramir asked as he swatted Éowyn on the back.  
  
"Actually, I call him Grimmy" Delilah continued.  
  
"If you want us, we'll be on the dance floor" Estella said as she tried to hide her obvious nausea. She then left, and the rest of the hobbits followed her.  
  
"I have to admit, "Wormy" is pretty accurate" Éowyn said after she'd stopped coughing.  
  
"At least it's better than "Grimmy". What's gotten into her?' Arwen whispered.  
  
"Don't talk about my Grimmy that way! Or Greggy!" Delilah wailed.  
  
"They have real names" Faramir said.  
  
"Oh is that what you think, Farry?" Delilah crooned as she licked her lips and looked at Faramir. Faramir, Éomer, Aragorn, Arwen, Lothíriel and Éowyn didn't know what to say.  
  
"That's a good one-for blackmail" Elrohir snickered.  
  
"What do you think, Arry?" Delilah continued as her eyes met Aragorn's. The ranger was on the verge of laughing and turning red at this.  
  
"Let's leave, Éomer, before she thinks up a nickname for you!" Lothíriel whispered as she grabbed Éomer's hand and took him to the dance floor.  
  
"Next thing we know, she'll be calling Legolas "Leggy" Arwen muttered.  
  
"I think we should follow Lothíriel's lead" Aragorn whispered into Arwen's ear.  
  
"Can I have a few hard shots?" Delilah asked the bartender.  
  
"Miss, you look like you had a few of those before coming in here" the bartender retorted.  
  
"You're going to look horrid tomorrow, trust me" Elladan said.  
  
"Like I will!" Delilah said. The group quickly disappeared into the crowd on the dance floor before Delilah could offer drinks.  
  
  
  
The next morning saw the hallway looking rather deserted, since its occupants were still in dreamland. But Professor Saruman was going to ensure that wouldn't be for long, since he tiptoed into the hallway with a huge bell in hand.  
  
"It's yestarë! And the storm has let up!" he boomed as he rang the bell. True enough, the sun was shining brightly outside.  
  
"What does that have to do with anything?" Aragorn asked sleepily as he poked his head out the door.  
  
"It's time for your Math lessons" Saruman cackled evilly as he rang the bell again. Aragorn slammed the door, just as various other students made their appearances in various states of disarray.  
  
"At least the cure worked. Niliwen, Legolas, Irilia and Gimli finally kept silent" Frodo said as he and Sam came out of their room.  
  
"What cure? I need a cure for a hangover" Delilah groaned as she staggered out of her room, reeking of alcohol.  
  
"We have to go back to school now? Just when I was getting used to sleeping late." Lothíriel said wistfully.  
  
"It's back to reality, again" Arwen said sadly as they went out of the room. "I can't believe we have classes on all days, yestarë!"  
  
  
  
"How many times do I have to tell you sister, to get your hand away from the burner?" Éomer exclaimed exasperatedly later that day during laboratory class with Professor Haldir.  
  
"I *was* going to turn on the burner" Éowyn said acidly from the other end of the lab table.  
  
"Is she really that stubborn during lab class?" Lothíriel asked Éomer. This time, for the experiment, Aragorn, Arwen, Faramir and Lothíriel had to team up with Éowyn and Éomer.  
  
"Only when she wants to be" Éomer sighed as he watched Aragorn and Arwen doing their part of the project.  
  
"What do you say we go out later?" Lothíriel asked Éomer.  
  
"She wonders why we call her the party girl" Arwen said to Aragorn.  
  
"You're too serious, Undómiel" Aragorn said.  
  
"Before any of you start going at it, why don't we finish the experiment?" Éowyn said indignantly.  
  
"Your pragmatic side at work again" Faramir muttered under his breath, hoping Éowyn wouldn't hear.  
  
"Students!" Haldir rebuked from the front of the room. These six students quickly stopped their conversation, until a commotion came from the hobbits' table.  
  
"Sam! You're not supposed to put that bottle on the burner!" Pippin chuckled amid a hubbub of voices coming from the hobbits' table.  
  
"That's not supposed to be there, Sam. If I remember, we were warned- "Frodo began before something nobody expected happened.  
  
A great blue cloud shot up from a bottle on the table, and spread across the room, growing thicker as it floated towards the back of the room. Some of the more jittery students began to stampede and panic, amid Haldir's yelling.  
  
"At least the cloud is staying on the ceiling" Faramir observed after a while. True enough, the cloud floated several feet above their heads, and it showed no signs of lowering itself.  
  
"Something seems to be very wrong here" Arwen said as she went back to work.  
  
After a while, Éowyn became aware of a tiny blue drop of water on the lab table. The drop of water was as blue as the midnight sky, and this made Éowyn uneasy, since that was the color of the cloud floating above her. She paused for a while, unsure what to do about it.  
  
"Éowyn? What's the matter?" Lothíriel asked her. All of a sudden, the air was thick with blue rain, coming from the ceiling.  
  
"The ceiling must've been quite cold for that to happen" Éomer noted as he ducked under a table.  
  
"Let's not go into science now!" Lothíriel groaned as she took shelter underneath a chair. "The rain is staining my dress too!"  
  
"You can always wash it" Aragorn pointed out.  
  
"Estel, in all my 2000 or so years of existence, I never thought I'd see rain indoors!" Arwen laughed.  
  
"How long till the rain lets up?" Éowyn asked. The rain was coming down in sheets now, and through the torrent, Éowyn could barely distinguish the outline of a hobbit going towards the door.  
  
"I have bad tidings, my friends" Pippin's voice rang from somewhere in the room. "We're locked in!"  
  
"Who has the key?" Haldir bellowed.  
  
"I think Greg tossed it down the drain" Merry said meekly.  
  
"WHAT?!" some voices in the class said.  
  
"Uh, does Ulmo take charge of artificial rain?" Niliwen asked.  
  
"Only Eru knows" Elladan sighed.  
  
  
  
"Honestly, it was an accident" Rose said to Lothíriel later that evening as all the girls in Hallway 7, and some older girls from other hallways sat up in Delilah's room.  
  
"I know it was. This yestarë was anything but normal" Lothíriel said.  
  
"Anything but ordinary you mean" Arwen said.  
  
"I can't believe that Gandalf had to cast a spell to get us out of there" Diamond said ruefully as she ran her hands along the lavish curtains in Delilah's room. This particular dorm room was much more lavish than the other rooms in the hallway, considering the fact that only one person used it. The room had heavy velvet draperies, satin sheets, and other extravagant furnishings that made many students envious.  
  
"Do you like this room?" Delilah asked loudly, speaking to nobody in particular.  
  
"Don't you ever feel stuffy in this place?" Éowyn asked curiously.  
  
"You'd rather be out in the mud?" Delilah shot back mockingly.  
  
"Not in the mud. But it does feel delightful sometimes to sleep where I can let the wind blow in, and I wouldn't be afraid of ruining anything," Éowyn replied.  
  
"That's also nice" Rose said. "I wish when I was growing up, I had something like this. Did you, Arwen?"  
  
"Just living in Rivendell or in Lórien is more than I need to sleep well" Arwen said. "I never had need of such things there"  
  
"Why don't you remain one of the Eldar then?" Irilia asked.  
  
"Such things I'd rather give up, than have my love and Aragorn's be no more than memory" Arwen answered truthfully.  
  
"I never wanted to close the curtains when I was a child in Dol Amroth. The sea air is something else. All my brothers agree with me on that" Lothíriel reminisced.  
  
"Strange. I always hated the sea air" Delilah said. "And horses" she added.  
  
"I don't see why anyone wouldn't like riding. I understand why some of you would hate battle, but I don't understand who wouldn't like-," Éowyn began before Delilah rudely interrupted her.  
  
"I don't see why Faramir even likes, much less loves you" Delilah said.  
  
"Here we go again" Niliwen muttered.  
  
"Well, I didn't know you hated riding until you told us. I was only stating my opinion" Éowyn said. "What does Faramir have to do with that anyway?"  
  
"Everything, strawhead" Delilah insulted.  
  
"Watch what you're saying" Éowyn said angrily.  
  
"Sure, you traitor to your country" Delilah continued.  
  
"Get off her case, Delilah. She's learned her lesson, good came out of the whole thing, and the War is over" Arwen said.  
  
Delilah didn't take notice of this. Instead, she began to talk about what was the latest and hottest thing around, and everyone else except Éowyn joined in. Éowyn really couldn't care less.  
  
"Éowyn, why don't you join us?" Arwen asked her after a while.  
  
"Don't even think about it. She's not one of us, she's abnormal" Delilah said darkly.  
  
"What makes you say that?" Éowyn asked quietly.  
  
"Define normal" Rose challenged.  
  
"Someone who doesn't stick out like a sore thumb" Delilah said matter- of-factly.  
  
"So your red hair does the opposite for you. It looks like a sore thumb" Arwen pointed out calmly.  
  
Delilah threw up her hands. "You just don't get my point! She's a two- timing tomboy" she exclaimed.  
  
"I know a flirtatious girl right here" Éowyn said.  
  
"It's not flirting anymore, it's a double investment. I've been seeing Wormtongue behind Greg's back" Delilah said.  
  
"Stay away from Wormtongue, I warn you. You don't know what you're getting yourself into" Éowyn said.  
  
"You want him too?" Delilah said sinisterly.  
  
"I'm trying to save your life Delilah" Éowyn said.  
  
"I'm sure it won't be long till Faramir falls into my arms" Delilah said.  
  
"Oh please, like my cousin will" Lothíriel said.  
  
"I think he has better sense than to do that" Éowyn said.  
  
"You're just lusting for him. I've told you that, so hand him over" Delilah said. "He wants an intelligent Gondor-born woman, not a wild shieldmaiden from the North!"  
  
"How would you know that you're the one Faramir wants?" Éowyn asked.  
  
"Why can't you just be normal Éowyn?" Delilah spat.  
  
Éowyn looked at Delilah and stormed out of the room. She didn't want anything to do with her anymore. Anything worse than getting taunted and stepped on by Delilah was seeing any man with Delilah. The thought of Faramir and Delilah together just gave Éowyn the shudders.  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Okay, I had to kill the storm subplot. I really want to finish this by April 7 (my graduation day, hooray!), so I need the reviews. Don't worry, we'll see the villains' medicines soon. And yes, the adults and the boys will get more in the next chapter, and yes, we'll have some more of the romance. Originally, I was hitting for 21 chapters, but it seems like I'm going to need at least 22 of them. Till the next update! 


	18. Off To A Strange Start

A/N: Sorry this took forever since I'm totally swamped with school and my stupid computer ate ¾ of this chapter! Anyway, thanks for reviews, and please remember I do not own anything made by Tolkien! In case you've noticed, the rating is PG-13 already. You'll see!  
  
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Off to A Strange Start  
  
The knocking on his bedroom door brought Faramir out of his dreams and back into the real world. It occurred to him that it was a day after yestarë and that the hour was a bit late.  
  
"Yes, yes I'm getting up" he called as he reluctantly got out of bed. He was wondering just who'd knocked on the door, but he knew he'd find out soon enough.  
  
When he finally left his room, he found Éowyn standing by the window at the end of the hallway. This window had a particularly good view of the East, and now the rising sun turned the snowy landscape pink and gold.  
  
"You're late," Éowyn remarked when she heard him approach her.  
  
"I'm suspecting you were the one who woke me up" Faramir said.  
  
"Time is passing" Éowyn said. "I knew though you wouldn't delay"  
  
"Consider that my way of stealing a few minutes just for the two of us," Faramir said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her a bit closer.  
  
Éowyn laughed a bit. "I'll always remember that" she said as she kissed his cheek gently.  
  
Faramir quickly reached in and gently turned her head to the side just as she was pulling away so they were looking into each other's eyes. Éowyn moved even closer to him and put her arms around his neck, and Faramir could feel her heart beating in time with his. Before either of them knew it, their lips met for the first time in many days. After a few more kisses, they parted and a smile was on their faces.  
  
"We're being awfully decadent here you know. I know you overslept," Éowyn said teasingly.  
  
Faramir laughed at this. "Then we should get going then. What's our first class?" he asked her.  
  
"It's not your favorite. But we're going to be late. We should've left earlier," Éowyn said.  
  
"I'll be back" he said and he retreated into his room to get his things. Éowyn did the same and they met again in the hallway with their school bags.  
  
"How much time do we have?" Faramir asked.  
  
"If we can make a run for it, we can make it to Professor Goldberry's Class" Éowyn said.  
  
Faramir bit his lip. The lecture hall was a good half hour away on foot. Cars were now disallowed, horses couldn't be found on campus though there was a courier post with a stable off-campus. Faramir knew that the waist-deep snow complicated things, and it would've been safer if they'd left with their friends. But he and Éowyn had to take the risk. If it wasn't the snow that was going to get them..  
  
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"The professors will" Aragorn reminded Faramir later that day as they along with Éomer got things from their lockers.  
  
"Did you see that look on Goldberry's face when Éowyn and I came in? For a second there, I thought she was going to do something dreadful to us," Faramir laughed.  
  
"She's just cranky today. Some women refer to it as *that* time of the month" Éomer pointed out as he went round a corner to his own locker.  
  
"Sometimes women are the hardest persons to understand" Aragorn mused.  
  
"You've been engaged to Arwen for the longest time and still you don't understand women" Faramir said in mock sorrow as he closed his locker. No sooner had his hand let go of the handle did the door pop open, allowing all the locker's contents to tumble out all over him.  
  
"Faramir! Are you alright?" Aragorn asked concernedly after the last book had fallen.  
  
"Nothing broken" Faramir replied as he pushed some books off his legs.  
  
"I don't see why you keep all these books in here" Éomer said as he came upon a well-thumbed writing. "They look so old"  
  
"They were my parents' books," Faramir said mildly. "My uncle came by Minas Tirith on his way here and found some books my father had been reading before.well you know what I mean,"  
  
"Found anything interesting?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"Speaking about books, what is our next class?" Faramir said as he finished putting the last of the books into his locker.  
  
"Gandalf's class--- wait a minute there," Éomer said. It seemed as if history was about to repeat itself.  
  
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"There's somebody out by the window of the hall" Aragorn observed as he and his companions made their way to the Literature building a while later. True to the ranger's words, there was a figure walking back and forth under the window. As they neared the building, they realized that the figure was none other than Éowyn.  
  
"What are you doing?" Éomer asked his sister.  
  
"That Gondor-born pain Delilah locked me out," Éowyn replied, her breath turning as white as her garb as she spoke.  
  
"Is there no other way to get in?" Faramir asked. Éowyn sadly shook her head. "The windows can be opened from inside, but not from outside. Fortunately, this one was the exception,"  
  
"I think we have only one solution in that case" Aragorn said as he looked at his companions, who somehow seemed to understand him. Quickly, Aragorn jumped up and his hands grasped the sill tightly. Having done this, all he had to do was to pull himself up and wriggle through the open window and land safely on the floor. After having done so, he looked back out at his friends.  
  
"You make it look so easy" Éowyn said sardonically as she went over to the window and managed to clamber in. Faramir and Éomer did the same when it was their turns, and soon all four of them were inside the building.  
  
"Missing something?" Gandalf's voice rang across the hall. The four students nearly jumped and they saw the wise wizard standing near them with his pipe.  
  
"A lot, Professor" Faramir said rather cheekily.  
  
"Get in the lecture room. I assure you, Miss Morgan will be dealt with soon, so there is no need to flay her alive, Éowyn" Gandalf said.  
  
"Well, so you made it in, dirty strawhead?" Delilah called cattily. Éowyn almost lunged at the girl, but Faramir had his hand on her arm.  
  
"Let me go!" Éowyn cried, thinking it was someone else who held her back.  
  
"She doesn't know what she's talking about" Faramir's voice reminded her.  
  
"You do not understand" Éowyn said bitterly, still not looking at her beloved.  
  
"Why wouldn't I?" Faramir asked, sensing that something was troubling her.  
  
"I can't tell you" Éowyn said quietly. She wouldn't tell him, not just yet, what had transpired the previous night.  
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"I don't feel satiated at all" Celeborn remarked later that evening after dinner.  
  
"Why is that, grandfather?" Arwen asked.  
  
"Your friend Delilah is a very bad cook" Galadriel replied.  
  
"Honestly, I am not touching her cooking again" Elrohir said. He and his kindred were seated up in trees, watching the stars.  
  
"I warned you brother, but did you listen? No" Elladan said from a lower branch.  
  
"We can always get some lembas later" Legolas grinned.  
  
"It'll take some time till we have some to give to you. Gimli ate the last cake" Elrond said.  
  
"Oh that dwarf!" Legolas muttered.  
  
Arwen fell silent a while, as if she heard something. "Something is going on in the dorm" she whispered.  
  
"Sister, what is it?" Elrohir asked.  
  
"I don't know if we're wanted in there, but I think we should go in" Arwen said. Suddenly, a yowl was heard and the elf found a furry ball in her lap.  
  
"Is that your friend Irilia's cat?" Celeborn asked.  
  
"I haven't seen this one before. And look! There are about four hundred ninety-nine more of these sorts of cat in this grove" Elladan said.  
  
"If they're all going to come on us, then I think I'll side with Arwen for once" Legolas said with a gulp.  
  
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"I can't believe I got in trouble for that!" Delilah whined as she flopped on a chair in the sitting room.  
  
"That was very low of you Delilah. You obviously didn't think of the consequences" Aragorn said as he turned back to what he was doing. He was doing some organizing while watching Éomer and Lothíriel playing chess.  
  
"Check" Lothíriel said smugly as she placed a queen several squares in front of Éomer's king.  
  
Éomer furrowed his brow at this. Lothíriel was putting up a good fight, and it looked like it was going to get even tougher, considering that the pieces on the board were getting fewer.  
  
"Need help?" Aragorn asked as he approached the two. Éomer shook his head. All of a sudden, shouts, meows and screeching could be heard from outside, followed by hurried footsteps. First, Arwen rushed in, followed by the other elves. They were all covered in dirt and scratches.  
  
"Cats!" Elladan managed to say once he'd caught his breath.  
  
"How can something as cute as Sir Bottlebrush get you anyway?" Lothíriel asked.  
  
"Multiply that cat five hundred times over" Arwen said as they all sat down. The listeners all cringed at the thought.  
  
"Anyway, I felt something was going to happen" Arwen whispered to Aragorn.  
  
"What is it?" Aragorn asked after stealing a small kiss.  
  
"I don't know" Arwen said as she rested her head on his shoulder. "But don't worry about it".  
  
"That's it Éomer! I'm getting back the queen!" Lothíriel suddenly said. All eyes now turned to the two players and everyone gathered around them.  
  
"Watch it Éomer! The pressure is building" Faramir said jokingly as he came in with Éowyn and sat with the group.  
  
"Well, so who do you think is going to win?" Legolas asked.  
  
"It would be bad for me to tell you" Faramir snickered.  
  
"I couldn't have been more nervous if I was playing against my sister!" Éomer groaned.  
  
"You know, you could always move that rook to the left" Éowyn said just before Éomer tossed a cushion at her.  
  
"Sshh! There's somebody outside! Listen!" Aragorn hissed. Whispers and giggles could be heard from outside the room.  
  
"Greg Adamson!" Delilah yelled out loud as she stormed out of the room. A minute later, she came back with Greg and another female student in tow.  
  
"What were you doing with her?!" Delilah screamed at Greg.  
  
"He was just telling me he loved me. You are insane" the stranger said. "Isn't that right, Greggy?"  
  
Delilah howled in outrage and at once began to pummel Greg with her fists. It took all the bystanders to restrain her and Greg was left on the floor crying. The other student looked confused and she stood up, bewilderment showing in her eyes.  
  
"Get this sorted out Greggy. Until then, it's over" the stranger said bitterly as she left. Arwen went out to follow her, since she knew her from one of her classes.  
  
"You were never there for me Delilah" Greg said pathetically.  
  
"Nor were you!" Delilah spat as she wrenched herself away and walked up to Greg .  
  
"Can you just argue somewhere else?" Faramir said.  
  
"Shut up!" Greg shouted. "You were trying to steal my girl!"  
  
"I wasn't doing anything like that" Faramir shot back.  
  
"Well, I'd rather have him than you" Delilah said cattily.  
  
"I told you to shut up" Greg growled at her as he twisted her arm.  
  
"Don't shut up me!" Delilah said.  
  
"Well, give me one reason why not! It's over!" Greg demanded rudely in her face.  
  
"Why should I?" Delilah said as she went over to Faramir as if to cling to him.  
  
"I wasn't asking for your opinion, woman" Greg bellowed. "And why are you clinging to the nerd boy who's as batty as his father? That's what knowledge does"  
  
"You just were asking. I would also watch what you say about Faramir's father. Faramir is not Denethor, nor is he Boromir. " Éowyn said disapprovingly.  
  
"What were you thinking, Del?" Greg continued furiously as if he hadn't heard Éowyn's words.  
  
"I'll have to ask Wormy about that" Delilah said and she suddenly turned pale. She'd just given the game away.  
  
"Wormtongue!" Greg yelled as he ran out of the room. Delilah tore away and followed Greg out, asking for a second chance. But it looked like it wasn't so possible.  
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"Coffee! I need my coffee!" Niliwen fretted at 5:59 a week later as she sat with Gimli, Irilia, Imrahil, and the hobbits in the middle of the hallway.  
  
"You can live without it. You're worse than an orc when you're hyperactive" Gimli said.  
  
"I have exams today. I need the extra alertness" Niliwen argued.  
  
"Hey, here comes Bilbo Baggins" Irilia said. Everyone turned to see the hobbit walking rather aimlessly down the hall.  
  
"Strange. He was awake when we last left him, wasn't he Sam?" Frodo said.  
  
"Uhh, are you alright?" Pippin asked bravely as he walked up to Bilbo. Bilbo didn't respond at all.  
  
"By the Bullroarer! He's fallen asleep on his feet" Merry exclaimed.  
  
"Don't wake him up" Sam said.  
  
"That's stupidstition" Niliwen retorted.  
  
"Superstition" Imrahil corrected.  
  
"I'm still tired from last night" Estella yawned.  
  
"I told you to sleep early" Diamond said.  
  
"Come on, we have to do something before Bilbo falls down the stairs!" Rose warned.  
  
"Bilbo!" they all called in unison.  
  
Bilbo's eyes fluttered open and he looked in surprise at the teenagers then at his surroundings. "What a particularly un-hobbit thing to happen" he mused.  
  
"It's never happened before" Frodo said.  
  
"What will it matter when we're six feet under?" Irilia quipped only to get groans as a response.  
  
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Later that morning, Éowyn found herself running late for lunch. As she passed by a table in the lunchroom, she heard a voice mocking:  
  
"He chose her, a wild woman from the North. But with this, I think he'll fall for me soon" Delilah said loudly from a table.  
  
Éowyn looked and saw Delilah sitting cross-legged at a table with some boys Éowyn never saw before. The young Gondorian woman was clad in an extremely short skirt and a low-cut top that bared her midriff and a good part of her chest. She was heavily made up and she had a smug smile on her face.  
  
"Will you please put on something decent?" Éowyn exclaimed in disgust.  
  
"Have you seen Faramir anywhere?" Delilah asked. "I'm glad for once he chose to part company with you, considering your attire"  
  
"What do you want with him anyway?" Éowyn asked as she looked at her rugged tunic and trousers, which was a departure from her usual dresses.  
  
"Listen here, I have the rights to him and I will have him for eternity, unlike you, a manure blooded peasant of Rohan" Delilah sneered as her green eyes met Éowyn's.  
  
Éowyn was enraged but she had to hide it "I'm the second sole surviving member of the House of Eorl and you're just a lesser princess," she said as calmly as she could say it, but the anger was evident in her voice.  
  
"I don't think Denethor the Second would have wanted his son to stain the marriage bed or the line of Mardil with a low-life, wild, and common shield-maiden" Delilah said loud enough for a lot of people to hear  
  
Éowyn saw red and without quite thinking much, flung the contents of her cup at her. The green tea that had been there spilled all over Delilah's clothing and melted some of the makeup off her face.  
  
Eowyn was mildly delighted at the results. Some of the tea had turned half of Delilah's hair green, and it was trickling down over her skin, which wasn't really as pale as it seemed underneath the makeup.  
  
A crowd began to gather and snickers could be heard as Delilah opened her mouth in shock. "I think that's a major improvement" Éowyn smiled and she disappeared into the crowd.  
  
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"Stop fussing over me" Éomer complained later that day as he inspected a gash on his arm caused by his own sword.  
  
"It's nobody's fault that we have to do something about that wound on your arm. It looks mighty ghastly to tell you the truth" Arwen said.  
  
"Couldn't we just wash it?" Éomer asked. "Or ask Gandalf to take care of it? Or Elrond? Or Galadriel? Or even Imrahil?"  
  
"I swear I'll take care of it" Arwen said. "Now stop complaining before I decide to give you stitches; not on your wound but someplace else"  
  
"Ouch! Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Éomer asked nervously.  
  
"I've learned from Aragorn and my brothers," Arwen said nonchalantly as she finished bandaging the wound.  
  
"Éomer, guess what?" Lothíriel asked as she glided in through the front door of the entrance hall.  
  
"What is it this time?" Éomer asked.  
  
"No test tomorrow" Lothíriel cheered as she began to jump all around the room.  
  
"How are you doing, Éomer?" Faramir asked as he and Aragorn came in through the back door, taking care to remove their muddy boots before going too far into the room as was the rule in this building during winter and mud season.  
  
"I think I missed a lot. Who won?" Éomer asked. Faramir quickly pointed at Aragorn.  
  
"It's a pity you didn't get a chance to see it" Aragorn said.  
  
"Lothíriel! Did you do your chores already?" Imrahil asked as he came down the stairs.  
  
"Father, you're embarrassing me" Lothíriel groaned.  
  
"I was going to ask your cousin the same question" Imrahil said.  
  
"I'm glad your father doesn't ask you such things," Aragorn said.  
  
"He threatens to put me on the next boat to Valinor" Arwen said.  
  
"Did I miss anything?" Éowyn asked as she ran in through the front door.  
  
"Éowyn!" Arwen scolded. Eowyn looked back at the trail of mud that began at the doorway and down at her mud-covered boots.  
  
"Sorry" Éowyn said sheepishly as she took off her boots and put them in the corner.  
  
"There was a commotion at lunch today. Did you see it?" Éomer asked.  
  
"That? You wouldn't want to know where I was then" Éowyn replied as she went towards the rest of the group.  
  
"In the middle of it?" Faramir asked. Éowyn nodded.  
  
"What really happened? First, it was Delilah getting ketchup on her clothes, then it was cat fur" Aragorn told her.  
  
"It was neither. I threw my tea on her" Éowyn said. "Anyway it was an improvement"  
  
"Called you strawhead again?" Arwen asked in mild shock.  
  
"Worse" Éowyn said.  
  
"Something worse than deserter?" Faramir asked.  
  
"Bad enough to make me want to skewer her" Éowyn replied. "I think she's serious about marrying you, Faramir"  
  
Faramir looked puzzled at this. Quickly, but still gently, he took her by the hand and led her to a corner away from everyone else.  
  
"What really happened, Éowyn?" he asked her in a hushed voice.  
  
"Faramir, promise this is just going to be between you and me" Éowyn said, trying not to burst out laughing at the recollection of the incident.  
  
"It never was a secret to begin with. First thing, you can tell me what's so funny about the whole situation," Faramir told her calmly.  
  
"You should've seen that look on her face when she realized what happened. That was priceless" Éowyn said.  
  
"I doubt she could've been angrier than you were at that moment" Faramir mused. Éowyn looked up at him, not heeding all the laughter that came from their friends' side of the room. Doubtless, Lothíriel was cracking up the whole group.  
  
"You know me all too well" she murmured seriously. "I don't know where to begin. I know I owe you the truth"  
  
"What did you mean that she wanted to marry me? Did she tell you outright?" Faramir asked.  
  
"She didn't use the word "marry". But she was implying it. I hope she isn't serious" Éowyn replied. "She said I was going to be a stain to your family if I ever married you and she on the other hand would be a perfect addition"  
  
"It's all politics on her part" Faramir said lightly. "I see no shame in loving you, no matter what people say, and that's not just because you are a brave woman. Loving you and seeing you return my love bring me joy like I have never felt before," he continued sincerely.  
  
Éowyn threw her arms around him and embraced him tightly. "That's all I wanted to know" she whispered as she let go of him after what seemed to be a long while. Faramir smiled at her as they rejoined their friends, who were now all seated on the floor, recovering from a rather prolonged fit of laughter. It was going to be a long night.  
  
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Next morning, while Éomer was getting ready to go down for breakfast, he heard urgent knocking on the dorm room door. "Now who could that be at this time of the morning?" he wondered aloud as he opened the door to find his sister standing there in her bathrobe and nightdress.  
  
"What are you doing out here in your robe?" Éomer asked Éowyn.  
  
"The bathrooms on my side of the hall are not working. Mind if I use yours?" Éowyn asked pleadingly.  
  
"Couldn't you have asked someone else?" Éomer asked.  
  
"All the girls have the same predicament. After all you're my brother, and Aragorn and Faramir are down for breakfast I think," Éowyn pointed out.  
  
"Make it quick then before anybody notices. You owe me one" Éomer said as he urged her in and closed the door after him.  
  
"You did the same thing to me before the war!" Éowyn said as she closed the bathroom door behind her. Quickly, she filled up the tub with warm water and stepped in, letting the water swirl around her thighs and come up to her chest. Just as she was reaching for a bar of soap the door suddenly opened.  
  
"Éowyn!"  
  
"Faramir!" Éowyn gasped in horror at exactly the same time her beloved had called her own name. Faramir quickly turned around just as Éowyn snatched her bathrobe to cover her chest.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Faramir asked as he tried to muster all his self-discipline not to catch another glimpse of Éowyn, no matter how lovely she looked under the circumstances.  
  
"It's a very long story" Éowyn replied shamefacedly as she tried to hide more of her under the water. "I'll just hurry if you're going to bathe". It didn't quite help either that Faramir was clad only in his trousers and slippers.  
  
"No, just take your time there. I already had my turn" Faramir said.  
  
"So why aren't you at breakfast? Didn't Éomer tell you?" Éowyn asked.  
  
"That's the disadvantage of getting too caught up reading in my room" Faramir said as he closed the door behind him. After swiftly going to get his shirt he returned to the still closed door and simply stood in front of it, with the intention of standing guard in case Aragorn came back unaware of the present situation. Aragorn and Éomer were going to have his head if they ever found out what had just transpired.  
  
After a short while, Éowyn opened the door and Faramir turned to look at her. She actually looked pretty in her simple dress and with her wet hair tumbling down her back. Despite her rather serious composure, the young man could see the mischievous gleam in her eyes. Obviously, she was planning retaliation.  
  
"I'm sorry about what happened" Faramir began.  
  
"I'm not angry with you anyway" Éowyn said as she neared him. "It's just that." she continued as she suppressed a laugh. Before she knew it, she'd stumbled on her own feet and she fell to the floor. Instinctively Faramir reached out to catch her but Éowyn quickly reached up and clung to his shoulders but just wound up bringing the two of them to the floor.  
  
"I don't know what my brother will do about this" she continued. Despite the fact that Faramir was on top of her, she felt pretty safe around him, enjoying the warmth from his body.  
  
"I'm more afraid of your retaliation" Faramir said as he let go of Éowyn who then managed to roll over, this time pinning Faramir under her.  
  
"What retaliation?" she asked in an oddly sweet tone.  
  
"If you were thinking of it" Faramir said as he got on top of her again.  
  
"How would you know?" Éowyn asked.  
  
"You forgot I have elvish blood"  
  
"You forgot I am a shield-maiden"  
  
"I've also had my training" Faramir reminded her.  
  
"Of course you did. No rider can ever outmatch you" Éowyn giggled.  
  
"Éowyn, now it's my turn to ask you to keep a secret" Faramir said as he got off her and stood up, making sure to help her up after.  
  
"That quite goes without saying" Éowyn agreed, knowing what exactly he meant. It was going to be a little bit hard to look him straight in the face for at least the rest of the day.  
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"Looks like we're going to have frozen rain today" Imrahil said later that morning as he watched from the library window the students practicing their swordplay and archery out in the field. The sky was cold gray and while there wasn't much snow around, it looked like it might make its reappearance soon  
  
"It looks more like sleet actually" Gandalf said." Unless of course, Saruman has been putting his hand into the weather"  
  
"He has a long arm indeed" Bilbo joked as he pressed his hobbit face to the window. Down below, things were getting to be quite hotter than the weather.  
  
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"I'm betting Estella can do better than that, Pippin" Merry told his cousin as he brandished his small sword.  
  
"What? Estella can't use a sword!" Pippin exclaimed.  
  
"That's precisely the point" Merry said evilly. With a yell, Pippin sprang at his cousin and began fiercely sparring with him.  
  
"Good show, you two" Elladan said after a while when the two hobbits had tired themselves out.  
  
"Well Mister Frodo, do you want to try?" Sam asked his friend.  
  
"I thought we'd lost that Mister Frodo thing when we came here" Frodo said. "Besides Sam, I've had my share of fighting during the war"  
  
"You stabbed a cave-troll if I remember rightly" Gimli said. "It wouldn't hurt to keep practicing though. You never know when you'll have need of an axe or a sword"  
  
"Or a bow" Legolas retorted as he shot an arrow into a target circle on a tree. "I'm the only one here who can shoot while sliding down the stairs on a shield"  
  
"I'd like to see you try" Niliwen said.  
  
"It's flat ground here, crazy" Daimond retorted.  
  
"I prefer fighting with my fists sometimes" Irilia said as she watched Frodo unsheathe Sting and begin to spar with Merry.  
  
"You? Fighting with your fists?" Elrohir asked.  
  
"I've tried" Irilia said as she confidently punched a stone pillar nearby, but just ended up screaming in pain.  
  
"You need more common sense" Elladan said as he examined the woman's hand, which was obviously broken from the sheer force of her action.  
  
Éowyn laughed hard at this as she went around to the end of the field, which was partially concealed by a thicket of frost-covered bushes. Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms grab her roughly and pull her to the deepest part of the thicket.  
  
"Good day my love," Wormtongue said as he gripped her arms tightly.  
  
"Let go of me!" Éowyn said angrily, before Wormtongue pushed her to the ground and covered her mouth with his rough hand and restraining her hands with his own free one.  
  
"Shhh" Wormtongue hissed. Éowyn noticed there was a strange odor on her assailant's hand. It smelled sweet and sickly, and Éowyn could feel her head starting to spin.  
  
"How weak you are, Éowyn" Wormtongue taunted as his hand began to stroke her face and move downwards. Before he could get too far, Éowyn snapped back to reality. She then realized that Wormtongue wasn't entirely thorough in trying to subdue her.  
  
A few seconds later, Wormtongue made his reappearance to the group whining and doubling over in pain. "I swear, I'll have my way someday!" he yelled at Éowyn.  
  
"I'm going to have to rinse out my mouth after this" Éowyn said as she joined Arwen and Lothíriel.  
  
"What did you do anyway?" Arwen asked her.  
  
"Let's just say I gave him a taste of his own medicine" Éowyn answered.  
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A/N: Finally! I hope you liked it- this had more mushy stuff than usual. And we saw Grima swallow the bitter pill. Please review! I'll update "The Ithilien Diaries" very soon (well, not tonight, maybe Saturday). Namarie for now! 


	19. A Piece of the Past, A Piece of My Mind

A/N: Hooray! Seventh grade life is winding down fast for me, and I'll soon be on summer break. Yeah, the gang will be in school and I'll be under the sun! Oh, I'll just stop gushing about vacation and I'll get on to the plot. I do not own anything made by Tolkien (though I do own Firiel). If I got Faramir's family tree screwed here, please tell me! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
A Piece of the Past, a Piece of My Mind ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Afternoon brought even colder weather outdoors and wildfire indoors as news began to get around of the incident on the practice field. Classes were called off for some reason and everyone had returned to the dorm or gone to the cafes. But a traveler walking in the woods might've heard two voices apparently out to defy whatever was coming that afternoon.  
  
"If you keep that up, I'm may end up having to carry you back to the dorm with a broken leg" Faramir warned Éowyn as they were sneaking back into the school grounds through the back gate.  
  
Éowyn shook her head as she jumped off the top of the low gate and landed easily on her feet. "Do we really have a choice?" she sighed. "You know perfectly well the other ways are locked and this is the only one that both of us can scale easily. You said yourself a few hours ago that every gate was open when we left"  
  
"I thought not more than a few hours ago that my only problem was getting you back alive to the courier post" Faramir teased her. Éowyn punched him on the arm at this.  
  
"You are going to have more problems if we don't get indoors soon. I thought wild horses were more stubborn than you" Éowyn retorted.  
  
"And I once thought the north wind was the wildest thing in existence," Faramir laughed as he reached out to push some stray strands of golden hair back from his beloved's face.  
  
"You knew what you were getting into when I asked you to go riding with me" Éowyn pointed out as they began walking to the dormitory. Faramir made no reply but instead he clasped Éowyn's hand in his as they walked. Éowyn squeezed his hand tightly in response to this gesture.  
  
Before either of them knew it, they'd arrived at their destination. As they reached the entrance, they noticed a good deal more pairs of shoes strewn on the floor of the porch and lots of laughing and shouting from beyond the door.  
  
"It seems as if our friends threw a party again" Faramir remarked  
  
"It's a few hours too early for that" Éowyn said as she reached for the doorknob, having already kicked off her boots and changed into a clean pair of slippers.  
  
When the young couple stepped into the doorway, they were greeted by the sight of many tables heaped with all sorts of goods crowding the whole entrance hall. Students wove their ways through the assortment of stalls that seemed to also spill into the adjoining rooms.  
  
"Faramir! Éowyn! Where have you two been?" Lothíriel called from somewhere in the crowd.  
  
"All over. This is a winter fair, is it not?" Faramir asked his cousin.  
  
"Just like those in Minas Tirith, as you used to say. Why don't you go and take a look around?" Lothíriel suggested and she disappeared into a group of people near the doorway of the sitting room.  
  
"First, I'll get something hot" Éowyn muttered as she went towards a booth selling hot drinks. Faramir quickly followed her through the crowd and ended up behind her in the queue.  
  
"Faramir, have you seen my brother anywhere?" Éowyn whispered all of a sudden. Faramir, being the taller of the two, looked around a bit over the crowd.  
  
"He's with my cousin. That's a dangerous combination" he remarked after catching sight of Éomer and Lothíriel laughing and talking with some other Rohirrim students by the doorway.  
  
"Not as dangerous as you and I are" Éowyn thought to herself privately. They'd reached the head of the line, and all of a sudden, Delilah cut in along with Wormtongue.  
  
"In case you didn't notice, the line doesn't begin here" Éowyn said. Wormtongue, upon catching sight of Faramir, slinked away to the back.  
  
"So what? You're too impure to pass anyway" Delilah said.  
  
"She was here first, if you have a mind" Faramir reminded Delilah.  
  
"Why don't you get behind me? Why are you always with her?" Delilah whined. Faramir and Éowyn exchanged glances at this crass remark.  
  
An idea popped into Éowyn's head. Casually reaching out, she lightly tapped Delilah on the shoulder, as if to call her attention. Delilah, feeling her touch, looked at her in disgust as she walked away, brushing off her shoulder. Éowyn and Faramir quickly stepped forward just as Delilah stopped in her tracks and tried to run back to her place. But due to the crowd, by the time she'd returned, Faramir and Éowyn had already left the booth, and Delilah knew there was no talking to the person who had been queuing up behind them: Gandalf. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
For some reason, the expected frozen rain or sleet did not come down by nightfall. Midnight saw six figures sitting out on the dormitory roof, regardless of the cold breezes blowing through Eriador.  
  
"There's no way I'm going indoors to study. It's mayhem in there" Aragorn said as he opened a book by the light of a makeshift lantern that Arwen had improvised out of a glass bottle and a candle.  
  
"You don't need to say that. I'm hungry" Éomer said, drumming his hands absent-mindedly on the shingles.  
  
"I was beginning to wonder why I'd brought these pastries" Arwen said as she pulled a small box out from her bag.  
  
"No thanks, I'm not hungry" Lothíriel said.  
  
"I don't think you can resist a nice, luscious cherry-and-cream filled puff" Arwen said as she held out the box, which had twelve pastries in it, each delicacy with a cherry on top.  
  
"To Mandos with my resolutions" Lothíriel said as she reached for the box.  
  
"There's some tea here in case you want something hot" Éomer said as he brought out some containers.  
  
"Where have Faramir and Éowyn gotten to?" Aragorn asked, looking around.  
  
"The First Age" Faramir answered from nearby, looking up from his book. All eyes turned towards him.  
  
"I seriously wonder how my sister can stand you" Éomer said. "Considering the fact she has a head full of horses and battles and you on the other hand are more occupied with lore and music"  
  
"Which also makes me wonder about you and my cousin" Faramir said.  
  
Éowyn, determined to change the topic, finally piped up, "Speaking about cousins, you never told me much about Lothíriel's brothers"  
  
"My brothers? They're always busy these days in Dol Amroth but at least they write to me," Lothíriel said.  
  
"Reminds me of how Theodred used to be so busy," Éomer said, aimlessly running his hand beside the lamp.  
  
"Busy patrolling or busy trying to teach you how to use a sword properly?" Éowyn teased.  
  
"On the other hand, uncle had to force you to learn how to sew" Éomer said.  
  
"I couldn't simply sit still and sew while you men were out winning battles here and there" Éowyn said before she took another bite of her pastry.  
  
"There was once a time when Boromir had to drag me out of the library for sword practice" Faramir said as he closed his book and put it in his backpack.  
  
"You read too much. Our exam isn't until Monday and today is Friday" Éomer said.  
  
"Saturday actually" Aragorn corrected him.  
  
"It's already past midnight!" Lothíriel exclaimed in shock.  
  
"Well, what do we have here?" Saruman said mockingly from a window near them. The students looked down in his direction.  
  
"We were just umm, studying" Lothíriel said nervously.  
  
"Studying you say? It will come to good use for you" Saruman said eerily.  
  
"I don't like where this is going" Faramir muttered.  
  
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"Who'd ever thought we'd end up taking an exam?!" Éomer complained half an hour later as he wriggled in his desk.  
  
Éowyn who was seated beside him, promptly gave him a kick on the leg. "You know he's crazy. That's where Wormtongue gets it" she muttered as she got back to her work.  
  
"Saruman could've chosen a better time to torture us" Niliwen said from somewhere loudly, since the wizard had said he was going to leave the hall briefly.  
  
"That's why it's called torture" Legolas said from the desk in front of Niliwen's.  
  
"I wasn't asking you elf-boy" Niliwen hissed as she tossed her pen at him. Legolas moved to the side and the pen stuck itself in Gimli's beard.  
  
"Rats! He's asleep!" Irilia said from beside Niliwen. Irilia as always had her cat Sir Bottlebrush with her. She still insisted on taking the test despite her broken hand.  
  
"He can't help it" Elrohir sniggered.  
  
"Are you just going to sit there?" Elladan said sharply.  
  
"You're Gimli's seatmate, you do something about it" his twin shot back.  
  
Elladan cautiously reached over to his seatmate and pulled out the pen.but also a few hairs.  
  
"Ouch!" Gimli yelped. Soon, pens, spitballs, and various other objects were flying through the air.  
  
"What in Arda is going on here?!" Saruman bellowed all of a sudden. All eyes turned to see the wizard standing in the doorway, with Sir Bottlebrush covering his face.  
  
"Oh you see sir, there was a mild commotion here that the people on this side started" Wormtongue informed him gleefully, shooting an evil grin towards Faramir and Aragorn.  
  
"That couldn't be farther from the truth" Faramir said defensively.  
  
"We'll see" Saruman said in an odd tone. Things were going from weird to bad.  
  
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Four hours, thirty extra questions and several shredded test papers later, the examinees finally were released from the confines of the lecture hall. While the insomniacs in the group went out to the rooftops, many sought the comfort of warm beds and soft pillows.  
  
Faramir was no exception to this. After some hurried words between him and his friends, he'd gone straight to bed. Some hours after he'd dropped into slumber, a furry weight landed right on the foot of his bed.  
  
"Go away" Faramir murmured as he tried to shove the furball away. However, whatever it was on his bed proceeded to slash its claws across the blankets, yowling all the while and jumped on his head.  
  
Faramir opened his eyes to see a fuzzy tail over his face along with hissing and snarling sounds from on top of him. He sat up with a start, and a screeching Sir Bottlebrush fell onto the sheets.  
  
"Something is very wrong with this creature" he thought as he fell back onto the bed, trying desperately to ignore the cat. However, the critter simply continued hissing at him, its fur bristling.  
  
"What do you want?" Faramir finally asked in annoyance. The cat looked at him with a surprised light in its eyes. "I must be going crazy. I'm talking to a cat?!" Faramir thought, unable to get any more sleep. He got up and looked out his bedroom window. There was no telling again what time in the day it was, since a blizzard was raging outside again. He could tell by the strange chill in the air.  
  
After he'd washed and dressed, Faramir decided to go and see how everyone else was doing. But first, he had to coax Sir Bottlebrush off the bed and return the cat to Irilia.  
  
"Here kitty, kitty, kitty" he called. The cat simply glanced at him and scratched itself nonchalantly. Faramir then walked over to the bed and picked the cat off. It seemed as if the cat was a good deal heavier than he remembered. As he lugged the scratching and hissing feline out of the dorm room into the hallway he heard someone approach.  
  
"Did you have a good rest?" Éowyn asked him. Faramir looked up to see her standing at the door to her room, smiling amusedly at him. She was clad in the same dark blue and silver mantle he'd given her nearly two years ago during their stay in the Houses of Healing.  
  
Faramir nodded as he straightened up and dusted the cat's fur off his hands. "You look lovely" he complimented her.  
  
"Thank you" Éowyn smiled.  
  
"What time is it?" Faramir asked curiously.  
  
"It's almost nine, I think," Éowyn replied matter-of-factly as she stepped towards him.  
  
"How long have you been awake?" Faramir asked after he kissed her hand.  
  
"I find it very hard to stay in bed when I wish to see your face again" Éowyn told him and she shivered slightly.  
  
"We've only been apart for but a few hours" Faramir reminded her.  
  
"It's been too long for me" Éowyn said.  
  
He tenderly pulled her close as if to warm her. Éowyn was taken aback by this gesture as she briefly recollected all that Wormtongue and Greg had done to her in the past. But she allowed herself to relax in Faramir's embrace and she placed her arms around his neck. As she looked into his face, she smiled to herself. He was unlike any other man she'd known. Faramir was handsome, yes, but he was also gentle and understanding and he treated her as his equal. "What more can I want from a man?" Éowyn thought quietly as she rested her head under his chin.  
  
"Good morning all" an elderly voice called from the entrance to the hallway. Faramir and Éowyn looked to see an old woman with a bundle full of freshly made cloaks on her back. Obviously, she was a merchant.  
  
"Let me help you with that," Faramir offered as he let go of Éowyn.  
  
"No thank you," the woman answered. Suddenly, it seemed to dawn on her just who was speaking to her, and she looked intently at Faramir, as if trying to recall something.  
  
"I think I have seen you before. Denethor, the twenty-sixth steward of Gondor was your father, wasn't he? And you are Faramir, his second son?" she said.  
  
"Indeed I am, lady. You knew my father?" Faramir asked in wonder.  
  
"No, child! I knew your mother" the woman said. "By the way, my name is Firiel of Dol Amroth"  
  
"How did you know my mother?" Faramir asked.  
  
"It was I who wrought that lovely mantle of silver and blue for her before she left for Minas Tirith to marry your father," Firiel answered. "Now I see the mantle also suits another fine lady. What is your name, child?" she continued, speaking this time to Éowyn.  
  
"Éowyn of Rohan, niece to the late King Theoden of Rohan" Éowyn said graciously.  
  
"Good morning. What time did you come in?" Imrahil asked as he came up from the breakfast table, neatly dressed and looking proper as ever.  
  
"Four o' clock just like everyone else" Faramir answered.  
  
"Good day to you, Prince Imrahil" Firiel greeted Faramir's uncle. Imrahil was first puzzled by the spinster's greeting, but he recognized her.  
  
"I remember you Firiel. You're here for the fair, no doubt" Imrahil noted.  
  
"I'm still selling robes and mantles, as always. Winters bite hard here in the North, do they not? But there have been worse winters than this" Firiel said. "Your sons are running things well in Dol Amroth. There is no famine"  
  
"That's good news to the ears. Now Faramir, there is a matter of great importance you, your cousin and I have to see to. Have you seen Lothíriel?" Imrahil said.  
  
"You were calling for me?" Lothíriel asked as she burst out from her room. -. Lothíriel's hearing was starting to get as keen as that of an elf.  
  
"There is something I have to show you and Faramir," Imrahil said.  
  
"I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast then" Éowyn said. "Do you need help, Firiel?"  
  
Firiel shrugged. "Fine then," she said resignedly.  
  
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Imrahil escorted Faramir and Lothíriel back to the room and locked the door. He opened the drawer where he kept his things and brought out a notebook that neither Faramir nor Lothíriel had seen before this day. The notebook was plain brown, but on the cover was drawn the emblem of the Princes of Dol Amroth.  
  
"Denethor should've shown this to you even before the War, but he would not show it to anyone and he would rarely speak about it. This was my sister's journal in Minas Tirith," Imrahil said.  
  
"Aunt Finduilas kept a journal?" Lothíriel said in wonder. Lothíriel hadn't even been born when Finduilas had died.  
  
"I've read a bit of it just now; this is the first time I ever opened it. Apparently my brother-in-law knew what she wrote in here, as he told me so years ago. It is a bittersweet tale written here," Imrahil continued as he handed the manuscript to Faramir.  
  
"What do you mean?" Faramir wondered as he opened the notebook. Its pages were nearly yellowed, but the script was still clear. His glance eventually halted on one page.  
  
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"November 5, 2984:"  
  
"It's been two months since Denethor became Steward and how things have changed since then! He is barely a shadow of the man I used to know. If before, he was as cold as a splash of water, now he is ice. For I rarely see him; it seems he prefers the company of his councils and matters of state to his family,"  
  
"Yet perhaps I misunderstand him. Perhaps matters are still too tumultuous for him to rest easy. I know he cannot hide his grief around me or our sons. No matter how I try to reassure myself with this thought that he is still at ease when he is with us, that he is not entirely lost to me, I still feel grief, not just because of Ecthelion's passing, but also because still I miss Dol Amroth greatly. The shadow of Mordor looms larger with each passing month and I fear for war, which may come in my lifetime, or maybe not. My only comfort in this city of stone was once Denethor. Now, I can only take joy in our children. I love our sons very much, but I also can't help but wonder how it might be if someday we had a daughter," ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Faramir stopped reading and he glanced back at Imrahil. "I wish she'd been around longer," he said sadly and he passed the journal to his cousin who opened it to a page near the end.  
  
"Father, look at this. I think some parts of this may interest you" Lothíriel said.  
  
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"January 10, 2988"  
  
"I feel I must write this since I doubt I will live to see the spring. Perhaps by the time anybody reads this and asks to clarify, I will be long gone. This then shall serve as my will."  
  
"To Denethor, my husband, I give you this diary and all other possessions of mine that I will not bequeath in later portions of this diary. I pray you find peace and a light beyond the darkness. I regret two things only: that I shall not be by your side much longer, and that I will not see our sons grow up. Please, love them with all your strength; love them twice as much as you love them now. When the time is right, give this diary to them, as a memorial of what little time we had together as a family."  
  
"To my brother Imrahil, I wish to leave the tapestries in my chamber, and the ring father gave me when I was sixteen. Never forget our times together, never forget I am and will always be your sister. What warms me and makes me smile (aside from my children) despite the pain I must bear everyday, are the memories of our days by the sea. I also wish to leave to you my earrings of sapphire and diamond, to give to your eldest daughter (I know sometime you will have a daughter as beautiful as your wife, though you've already had three sons). I hope your wife will bring you joy and that your sons will grow up to be like you. Take care of my sons; love them like your own children. It is very hard to part from all I love, but the pain is too great and I have lost the strength to fight"......  
  
...."And lastly, but definitely not least in my heart, to my sons Boromir and Faramir, I give to you the silver dagger your grandfather gave me, and the book of lore I oft would read from to both of you. I wish I could be around longer, but I'm afraid it won't be so. Faramir, I know you will miss me terribly, and I worry over you most, for I have spent the least time with you. Do not be afraid to cry, but after that time passes, I want you to be brave enough to dream. Boromir, please take care of your brother. There will be times when you'll disagree, but I want you to look beyond those times and still be there for him. I hope you'll both grow to be brave, honorable but kind and gentle men. To you Boromir, I also want to leave to you my necklace of red gems to give to the woman you'll marry, should you choose to do so. I hope you do, as there is more to being Steward than renown and wisdom. In the same gesture, I leave my blue and sliver mantle of stars to you, Faramir. Give it to the lady you will love and marry and who'll love you and hold you first in her heart. I would very much like to see her wear it, if only I would live to see that day."  
  
"It pains me so to leave you all. It couldn't be any harder for me. How much time I still have with you, I do not really know. I love you all so dearly. Till we meet beyond the spheres of this world! Farewell!"  
  
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Imrahil stopped reading and put the book down slowly. "She died a week later" he said gravely as he looked at his daughter and his nephew. Imrahil knew he had lost so much while his children were still very young. Eight years after Finduilas died, Imrahil's own wife died after giving birth to Lothíriel.  
  
"She seemed to know I would exist," Lothíriel mused. "Perhaps at a terrible price"  
  
"She also had elvish foresight. Thíriel, you cannot blame yourself for never knowing your mother," Imrahil said. "I cannot blame you either" he continued, placing his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Father, only Éomer calls me Thiri, or Thiriel!" his daughter cringed.  
  
"Sometime, we should go back to the Citadel and get the things that were left to you and your brothers. It's about time we did" Faramir said.  
  
"We don't have to. I gave the earrings to Lothíriel already. She has them on" Imrahil informed him.  
  
"You gave them to me years ago," Lothíriel said as she felt her earrings. "How did you receive them if you never knew about the will till five minutes ago?"  
  
"Denethor gave them, along with the tapestries, the ring, and the things that went to your brothers when I came for the funeral. He said they were from my sister, but he wouldn't explain much," Imrahil answered.  
  
"Boromir received a dagger from my father when he turned eighteen. The book of lore, I found by my bedside table the day mother died. I last saw the necklace of gems during the War when I returned to Minas Tirith from Henneth Annun after meeting the Ringbearer," Faramir said.  
  
"Do you know what became of the mantle?" Lothíriel asked.  
  
"You've seen it today" Faramir said. Lothíriel's jaw dropped as she realized what her cousin had done.  
  
"You gave it to Éowyn?! When did you?" she asked.  
  
"It was at the Houses of Healing, the day Sauron was defeated. A chill was in the air, and I gave it to her to keep her warm," Faramir admitted. He knew he would never forget the sight of her, standing on the walls beside him that gray day. That was the day everything changed for all Arda.  
  
Imrahil began to chuckle helplessly. "Well, she does love you and you love her," he finally said.  
  
"Was this coincidence or was this predestined?" Lothíriel mused.  
  
"If my mother could see you were going to be born someday, then who knows what else she knew," Faramir observed.  
  
"She seemed almost certain that someday you will marry" Imrahil added.  
  
"She would've liked Éowyn" Faramir said to himself quietly.  
  
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After a while, Faramir and Lothíriel went downstairs to the fair to get some breakfast. They found Éomer, Éowyn, Arwen and Aragorn seated at a table crammed in a corner of the bustling entrance hall.  
  
"So what was that about?" Éowyn asked.  
  
"Upstairs? Let's just say I understand my uncle and my mother more now" Faramir replied. Éowyn nodded in understanding, knowing that the matter was going to take an explanation that would be more appropriate some other time.  
  
"Ai, I thought you were up to something," Arwen said flippantly.  
  
"He wasn't. Listen, I'll go get our breakfasts," Éowyn said.  
  
"May as well, since we're all here" Aragorn said.  
  
"Namarie" Éowyn said as she pushed back her chair. Right away, Lothíriel began to giggle.  
  
"What's so funny?" Éomer asked.  
  
"N-nothing" Lothíriel gasped.  
  
"Don't tell me.." Éowyn began.  
  
"It's been two years since you first began to learn the elven-tongue, and you still have an accent" Arwen said.  
  
"I can't help it if it was my third language!" Éowyn said.  
  
"Still, you've picked it up pretty well" Faramir remarked in Rohirric. Éomer began to roar with laughter and he fell right off his chair.  
  
"Not as well as you've picked up my people's language," Éowyn said, sitting back down again and giving her brother a dirty look.  
  
"Your accent is rather noticeable, Faramir" Aragorn said frankly.  
  
"I know" Faramir grimaced. "Perhaps, friend, you understand my predicament since I believe you've also learned the language of the Riders,"  
  
"You've learned Rohirric?" Arwen said in mild surprise to Aragorn.  
  
"I had to when I was serving King Thengel," Aragorn said. "I think my accent has returned since then"  
  
"Accents or no accents, I'm hungry. Aragorn, Arwen and I will get the food while the rest can stay" Éomer finally piped up after he'd stopped cracking up.  
  
"I'm perfectly capable of helping you out" Éowyn said.  
  
"You, Faramir and Lothíriel were the last three to arrive. It's about time we stretched our legs anyway" Arwen said as they walked away  
  
"What difference does it make anyway?" Lothíriel asked aloud. But by that time, her friends were out of hearing already.  
  
"I hope they don't give us anything nasty" Éowyn remarked after a while.  
  
"I trust them not to do that" Faramir said. As if in response to this, their friends returned with trays of sandwiches, butter, milk, bacon and fruit.  
  
"I hope none of you wanted oatmeal" Éomer joked as he sat down.  
  
"It's not bad actually. Why did you stop me from getting a bowl of oats?" Aragorn said.  
  
"That's because Delilah cooked them. I swear I saw a false nail floating in the food" Arwen said in disgust.  
  
"I wonder who of us can speak the dwarves' tongue without an accent" Faramir wondered aloud as he ran his hand through his hair absent-mindedly.  
  
"The question is if we can even speak it at all. Gimli, though he is our friend, guards his race's language fiercely, like all dwarves do," Aragorn pointed out.  
  
"I think we'd better get rid of our accents," Lothíriel said.  
  
"On the other hand, sometimes an accent can be a bit charming" Faramir pointed out.  
  
"I doubt mine is" Éowyn sighed.  
  
"The most surprising things to your eyes are what actually endear you to me" Faramir told her quietly.  
  
"How about speaking straight, high Quenya, not Sindarin?" Arwen asked, changing the topic.  
  
"Can you do that?" Éowyn challenged.  
  
"I've been educated" Arwen said.  
  
"Obviously, this forgoil here hasn't had any education" Delilah sneered as she came up to them.  
  
Éowyn gripped the handle of her mug so tightly at this remark to the point that Éomer was afraid his sister was going to crush the mug into bits.  
  
"You can't even speak Sindarin properly, for Eru's sake. And you claim to be a princess?!" Delilah continued.  
  
"Let's see you speak my language for a change," Éowyn said coolly before taking another bite of her food.  
  
Delilah bit her lip and turned pale. Flipping her locks, she walked away, grabbing Wormtongue by the wrist and dragging him behind her. It seemed as if Grima had his tongue hanging out before Delilah had swooped on him since he was gagging as he was being led along.  
  
"Does anybody want anything else?" Aragorn asked from behind a mouthful of fruit.  
  
"That depends on who's paying" Lothíriel said.  
  
"Do you ever wonder why is it that men always have to pay their way through a meal when dining with a lady?" Éomer said. "Not that I mean to be offensive,"  
  
"It's a part of being a gentleman" Faramir said as he put down his mug.  
  
"Then what does that make Grima? I heard he once forced his date to pay for him and her during a luncheon last October." Arwen asked.  
  
"A real mound of orc corpses" Éomer mumbled.  
  
"I don't think it's un-gentlemanly for a man to allow a woman to pay for her own meal only, provided the woman willingly agreed to do so," Éowyn added. "Of course, the man must pay for his own food in that circumstance"  
  
"That depends on the occasion if you ask me" Arwen remarked.  
  
"So how do you usually settle these matters?" Lothíriel asked. "Outside of a sword duel, I mean" she continued, looking at Éowyn.  
  
"I do *not* settle those issues with my sword" the shield-maiden retorted.  
  
"I propose we just pool together our coins. I doubt we spent that much money anyway" Aragorn suggested.  
  
"How about a drinking contest?" Éomer joked.  
  
"It's too early for that" Arwen reprimanded him.  
  
"I think Aragorn's suggestion makes the most sense" Faramir said resignedly.  
  
"Now it's just a matter of finding the coins" Aragorn said as he began to empty his pockets.  
  
"What do you keep in there anyway?" Arwen asked, giving him a quizzical look.  
  
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"I think Aragorn should check his pockets more often" Éowyn laughed as she joined Estella and Merry as they went through the stalls. It had been about three hours since they'd finished looking for the change, which they succeeded at, but not without upsetting some furniture.  
  
"I guess Strider still has a busy life," Merry chuckled.  
  
"He may be busy, but at least Arwen doesn't pinch him when he comes in dirty" Estella observed as she carefully examined a box of pastries.  
  
"If you want suffering, try getting crushed underneath a troll, Estella" Pippin said as he joined them.  
  
"How about falling underneath the Black Shadow? That was no piece of cake either" Merry argued.  
  
"Without a doubt, getting stabbed by a Morgul blade, bitten by a dark spider and getting your finger bitten off are worse than all that combined" Frodo said as he came out of nowhere.  
  
"Where did you come from?" Merry asked in surprise.  
  
"I still have the Ring" Frodo began. A deathly silence fell on the group and all the world seemed to freeze.  
  
"I was just joking" the hobbit reassured them. Merry and Pippin exhaled in relief.  
  
"Mister Frodo! Wait up!" Sam called as he extricated himself from under a table.  
  
"Have you seen Diamond and Rose?" Estella asked him.  
  
"They were looking for you in fact" Sam replied. "They're with Arwen and Lothíriel by the stairs"  
  
"Isn't that where the dressmaker and the jeweler stalls are? Estella asked.  
  
"Without a doubt, someone is going to be there," Éowyn muttered.  
  
"Well, whoever said you can't have fun if your arch-enemy is around?" Estella said brightly as she pulled Éowyn with her to the booths.  
  
Their friends (with the exceptions of Niliwen and Irilia, who were somewhere in the crowd) were trying out various pieces of jewelry and accessories when they arrived.  
  
"It's about time you came" Diamond mused when she caught sight of Éowyn and Estella.  
  
"Diamond, please do not go overboard" Rose admonished her friend. "She's been meaning to dress you up" she whispered to the newcomers.  
  
"What I'm wearing is as dressed up as I am planning to get for today" Éowyn said.  
  
"I doubt we can find anything that matches what you're wearing, Éowyn" Arwen remarked. "Perhaps there's a merchant from Dol Amroth who can help us out in trying to get a necklace"  
  
"It's a bit hard trying to find something that can match our best clothes" Diamond giggled.  
  
"Preparing for your weddings already?" Éowyn joked.  
  
"How did you know?" Rose said.  
  
"I meant it as a jest" Éowyn said.  
  
"Aren't you worried about your wedding to Faramir?" Lothíriel asked.  
  
"What?" Éowyn asked in surprise.  
  
"Don't deny it Éowyn. You do want to marry him" Lothíriel said.  
  
"You're not me; you wouldn't know" Éowyn said sternly.  
  
"You reacted the other day when Delilah made that crack in the lunchroom. If you weren't serious, you wouldn't have reacted that way," Lothíriel pointed out, a new tone of maturity to her words.  
  
Éowyn bit her lip. Unlike before, she was now unable to put up the cold façade she was once so accustomed to. Now that several people had mentioned it, the idea of her and Faramir actually being together for a lifetime no longer seemed strange to her. "I love him so much, and he loves me too. Why am I so afraid of marriage, but yet at the same time, I want it to happen?" she thought.  
  
"Anyway Rose, we weren't exactly preparing for weddings. We can use these trinkets on March 25 to commemorate the fall of Sauron" Arwen said, to change the discussion.  
  
"That's another good idea. Let's get to work while Delilah isn't here" Estella said.  
  
"I'll just stay here and watch" Éowyn said. Finery still was an annoyance to her. It was rare that she adorned herself with more than her usual necklace and even then, the ornament was usually her favorite pin in the shape of a horse.  
  
"Aren't you going to get anything for yourself? You're always in old dresses" Delilah said snottily from a corner. The maiden was holding up a frilly purple dress that had an extremely tight waist and was cut a bit low at the neck.  
  
"How are you even going to breathe in that?" Éowyn said to Delilah.  
  
"I think a really tight corset should do the trick," Delilah said unheedingly. "Faramir is going to fall for me in this"  
  
"It's no good if you can't even survive in that" Arwen said.  
  
"What do you think Grimmy?" Delilah called to Wormtongue.  
  
"I'd very much like to see you in it," he called lustfully.  
  
"What a lecher" Éowyn said in disgust as she watched Delilah approach Wormtongue and exchange a few words with him.  
  
"I would faint in that dress" Lothíriel whispered.  
  
"You'd have to be insane to wear it" Rose said as she and the hobbits and Arwen slipped away to a nearby dressmaker, leaving only Lothíriel and Éowyn behind.  
  
After a while, the women noticed that the conversation between Delilah and Wormtongue was getting rather animated, since Delilah kept on opening and closing her big mouth as if in shock while Wormtongue gestured in their direction. After a while of this, Delilah marched straight up to Éowyn with crazed rage in her eyes.  
  
"He should've given that mantle to me, you accursed piece of filth!" Delilah yelled at her. "I'm the only one who deserves it!"  
  
Éowyn raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think so?" she asked skeptically.  
  
"Thank Eru for keyholes. Now stop changing the topic!" Delilah said.  
  
"Oh Varda, she heard about the will!" Lothíriel gasped.  
  
"What will?" Éowyn asked in confusion. "I should've asked Faramir for an explanation a while ago!" she thought.  
  
"Actually, Grima told me" Delilah said.  
  
"You snake! That was supposed to be private!" Lothíriel exclaimed as she looked at Wormtongue angrily.  
  
"Éowyn? Are you here?" Faramir called as he approached the stall.  
  
"Why did you give the mantle to her and not to me?" Delilah said, turning to Faramir.  
  
Faramir didn't have to enquire anymore about the situation. "I didn't even know about the will when I gave the mantle to her," he said in an attempt to pacify his countrywoman.  
  
"Tell me what is going on here" Éowyn demanded as calmly as she could.  
  
"I wonder why you choose her over me. But I love you! Your mother said to give it to the woman who'll love you" Delilah said defensively.  
  
"She also said, "and hold you first in her heart". I can seriously doubt that is true in your case" Lothíriel said as she left.  
  
"Grima and I are friends with benefits. I've always loved Faramir" Delilah declared.  
  
"You said before you loved Greg" Éowyn argued.  
  
"So what is that to you?" Delilah said.  
  
"A heart can remain divided for only so long. The time will come when you have to let go of one or the other" Éowyn said as she pretended to turn her attention towards the display of jewels before her.  
  
"You could've chosen better" Delilah said to Faramir.  
  
"I think you should leave Éowyn to me. Women are just chattel" Wormtongue said in a nonchalant tone.  
  
"I would be a wretch to do your bidding" Faramir said.  
  
"Uh, Wormy how does this look on me?" Delilah suddenly said as she began to apply a good deal of cosmetics on her face.  
  
At the moment Delilah was finished, Faramir could've sworn he saw Wormtongue's jaw drop to the floor. Admittedly, Delilah did look entrancing..but this time, it seemed she was going way overboard as the whole mess on her face was an inch thick and the lady's green eye shadow seemed to clash with her reddened lips.  
  
"She's all mine" Wormtongue whispered. However, his mind's eye did not see Delilah's extremely made up face. Instead he saw Éowyn's slender body, and the most inappropriate images flooded his mind, causing him to feel a bit warmer than usual.  
  
Éowyn recognized the look on Wormtongue's face. "I have to get something. I'll see you later, Faramir" she said to her lover.  
  
"Where are you going?" Faramir asked her.  
  
"I'll take a look around. Stop worrying about me" Éowyn laughed as she squeezed his hand and left the booth just as Lothíriel and the other girls returned.  
  
"Where's Éowyn?" Arwen asked in surprise, noticing her friend wasn't around.  
  
"She couldn't stand my presence" Delilah sneered as she produced a bottle of brandy out of nowhere.  
  
"I'm going to look around a while. I'll be back" Faramir excused himself. When he returned fifteen minutes later he saw that Delilah had a whole crowd around her, and she was talking boisterously.  
  
"How many drinks has she had?" Faramir asked Lothíriel, who was in a corner.  
  
"Cousin, the brandy is always in her system. She hasn't opened the bottle!" the young woman snapped.  
  
"Look at me! Am I not beautiful?" Delilah called as she attempted a pirouette in her high heeled shoes. Instead, she wound up landing flat on her seat.  
  
Faramir looked around and realized that Wormtongue was no longer in the crowd. "Have you seen Grima?" he asked Arwen urgently as some bystanders helped Delilah up.  
  
"He slipped away after whispering something to Delilah. You'd better go and keep a watchful eye on him" the elf replied.  
  
"That's what I'd meant to do" Faramir said as he went towards the stairs.  
  
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Faramir found no sign of Éowyn or Grima in the usual places where either one or the other would be. Finally, he found himself back in Hallway 7, and he was just in time to hear a door slamming. He realized it was Éowyn's door.  
  
Faramir knocked cautiously on the door, and he realized it was unlocked. All of a sudden, the door opened to reveal Éowyn standing in the doorway, brandishing her sword.  
  
"Were you waiting for something?" Faramir asked mildly. Éowyn dropped her weapon upon hearing his voice.  
  
"Faramir!" Éowyn exclaimed in surprise. Faramir laughed merrily and stroked her cheek affectionately.  
  
"I missed you downstairs. I was beginning to wonder where you'd gone" Faramir told her.  
  
Éowyn frowned slightly. "I told you not to worry about me" she said half-sternly as she grasped his hand.  
  
"Should I not be concerned about the lady I love?" Faramir asked.  
  
"You're going to worry yourself to the point of getting a headache" Éowyn teased him. "Then I'll be the one worrying"  
  
"Which proves you do care for me," Faramir said.  
  
"I can never put fully into words all the affection I feel for you" Éowyn admitted lovingly.  
  
"Nor can I" Faramir said as he kissed her forehead and moved his mouth down to hers gently. Éowyn closed her eyes and enjoyed the gentle warmth of Faramir's touch on her face, and she captured his mouth with her own, and the world seemed to melt away in that instant with its cares and dangers.  
  
"Why do fools fall in love anyway?" Irilia called from a nearby doorway. The young couple quickly parted and Faramir turned to look at Irilia.  
  
"It is hardly foolish to love" he told her.  
  
"Isn't it making yourself vulnerable?" Irilia asked.  
  
"That's why I consider it courageous" Éowyn quipped.  
  
Irilia rolled her eyes. "I thought you were so cold" she said scornfully as she stroked her bandaged hand.  
  
"You're not as dark as you think you are" Faramir said.  
  
Suddenly, a bloodcurdling yell came from downstairs and Gandalf made his appearance covered in hot pink paint.  
  
"Who did this?" the wizard shouted as he tried to get his newly dyed hair out of his eyes.  
  
Faramir noticed a bucket of paint with a sign stuck to it had rolled right near his feet. Picking it up, he read, "To Professor Balrog Killer, Have a Rosy day! Signed: The Tenth Nazgul"  
  
Éowyn raised an eyebrow at this. "That is a tasteless joke. Those dwimmerlaik almost killed some of us before" she said seriously.  
  
Suddenly, another scream came from elsewhere in the dorm. The three students plus the colorful professor saw Elrond standing in his room drenched this time in orange paint.  
  
"Who is the "Tenth Nazgul"? I thought there were only nine!" the elf lord bellowed.  
  
"I doubt Elladan and Elrohir were this much trouble when they were younger" Irilia sniggered.  
  
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A/N: I finally got this done after getting my exams over with! Well, I hope you enjoyed this rather wacky chapter. Please review this story! Tell me who you THINK the Tenth Nazgul is. Please!!  
  
Notes: namarie is elvish for farewell. Dwimmerlaik is Rohirric for an evil spirit (see ROTK) 


	20. A Series of Surprises

A/N: Here we go again! Well, I hope you enjoyed the last chapter! You know I do not own any of Tolkien's characters, so there!  
  
You have three guesses as to the identity of the prankster (aka The Tenth Ringwraith). Clue: He hasn't said much in the last chapter!  
  
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"What in Arda is this?!"  
  
The unearthly shriek in the hall broke the quiet of the dawn three weeks after the first incident. It was already February, and today was a Friday. It was too stormy to have classes.  
  
"Does anybody know who this "Tenth Wraith" is?" an irate Celeborn yelled, not minding his new neon-green complexion.  
  
'We're trying to find that out" Gandalf said, appearing out of nowhere.  
  
"Where did you come from?" the elf asked. Gandalf just smiled.  
  
"What happened?" Arwen asked, poking her head out from her bedroom door.  
  
'Go back to sleep. It's too early for you to be up" Celeborn urged.  
  
Arwen's eyes widened upon hearing Celeborn's voice. At once, a smile began to spread across her usually grave face upon seeing her grandfather.  
  
"Don't start laughing, Evenstar" Celeborn ordered. Arwen bit her lip and shut the door, trying to stifle her laughter, knowing full well she was just holding off the inevitable.  
  
'Celeborn?" Galadriel called from inside her room. "What are you doing out there?"  
  
"Just a minute" Celeborn replied as he retreated into the room he shared with Galadriel. Gandalf sighed. He was no closer to finding the culprit.  
  
"It's bad enough that there are orcs in the woods, and that many students have gone out for a fortnight and a week to hunt them. To think there was an accident three days ago!" he muttered. It was time for drastic measures.  
  
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"He's kidding, isn't he?" Pippin asked later that day after breakfast as he, Merry and Arwen were sitting on the rafters in the Hallway.  
  
Merry shook his head. "Gandalf is actually going to take a peek into the Mirror" he told his cousin.  
  
"Isn't there a palantir up here in Eriador?" Arwen asked innocently.  
  
The hobbits shrugged. "They were all lost. Unless of course, you think you can find one in the walls" Pippin joked.  
  
"It looks like we're going to have to resort to the old interrogation methods" Gandalf said as he came in, not knowing of the three students sitting directly above him.  
  
'So much for wishing" Merry snickered as he tried to shift position on the rafter and began to shake his leg.  
  
"What's gotten into you?" Pippin asked.  
  
"Don't look you two, but I have the feeling that something small is coming" Arwen said, trying to ignore the spider that was crawling up her shoe.  
  
"It's here already and if we move in the wrong place, we're going to fall!" Pippin said with a grimace.  
  
"You too?" Merry asked uncomfortably. Pippin nodded as he squirmed. Next thing the three students knew, they were on a heap on the floor, and Gandalf was looking at them.  
  
"Arwen Undómiel, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took! What a surprise" Gandalf exclaimed.  
  
"We're sorry Mithrandir, but there were spiders in the rafters!" Arwen said as she got off the floor.  
  
"Spiders? I hope they aren't like the one in Cirith Ungol" Gandalf said.  
  
"Of course they aren't" Arwen said as they dusted off their clothing.  
  
"I assume you three heard about the investigation" Gandalf began. "I'm not going to question everybody, only if there is sufficient evidence. In the meantime, you will all be carefully watched"  
  
"No palantirs?" Arwen asked cautiously.  
  
"None. How have things been?" the wizard asked.  
  
"Not too good," Arwen said.  
  
"Why?" Pippin asked.  
  
"Everybody was hurt in the accident three days ago" Merry winced. When he meant everybody, he meant everyone who hadn't gone on the foray. This included Arwen, Merry, Pippin, Frodo, Sam, Diamond, Estella, Rose, Irilia, Niliwen, Éowyn, Lothíriel, Delilah, Greg and Wormtongue.  
  
"I know. My leg is still sore. It's bad enough I have to be the one in charge of all the rest of us" Arwen said. "Now I know how much trouble Estel has with all of us on a normal day"  
  
"He already knows of the incident. I sent word the night after it happened" Gandalf said.  
  
Three days ago, the prankster had struck once again, this time in a crowded hall. However, the result of the prank had caused some tall poles and furniture to fall over, thus injuring many students. Unfortunately for Arwen, she and her friends were right in the middle of it all.  
  
"At least Elrond, Galadriel, Celeborn, and Imrahil were able to aid you students," Gandalf said.  
  
"Most of us have recovered well" Merry reassured Arwen. "You do after all have some measure of your father's gift for healing"  
  
"That's good to hear," Arwen said. "Have you found a way to get Estella out of bed?"  
  
"Working on it" Merry grinned. Estella Bolger, like many of the victims in the accident, wasn't very seriously injured. But the hobbit had insisted on staying in bed, despite the fact that her injuries were healed.  
  
"Listen! Someone is coming!" Pippin said all of a sudden. The four stood still, as if anticipating the arrival of the infamous Tenth Ringwraith.  
  
"Is that you, Pippin?" a familiar voice asked. Then Éowyn stepped into the passageway, her golden hair utterly disheveled and her face and clothing streaked with fresh mud, as if she'd just come in from riding.  
  
"Éowyn, you're not supposed to get out of bed till the day after tomorrow!" Arwen exclaimed upon catching sight of her friend.  
  
Éowyn rolled her eyes. "I'm perfectly fine. All I needed was a little bit of fresh air" she retorted crossly.  
  
"You got knocked badly on the head three days ago," Arwen reminded her. "And those bruises ."  
  
"I'm no stranger to pain or injury. I cannot remain idle for long" Éowyn argued.  
  
"There are orcs in the woods" Arwen insisted.  
  
"I have a sword and my brother is out there in the wild hunting the brutes" Éowyn said. "You know I wanted to go on the expedition. The least you could do."  
  
"For your sake, and mine, you should be taking your rest" Arwen said. "Even Aragorn, Faramir and Éomer would say so"  
  
".is just let me walk free. As I told the Warden in the Houses, and I will tell you now, I would sicken anew if there was nothing to be done" Éowyn said.  
  
"You were putting your life in peril" Arwen said.  
  
"Who slew the Witch-King?" Éowyn retorted.  
  
Arwen bit her lip as she searched for a careful response to this. In all of Arwen's two thousand years or so of living, she never had the opportunity or inclination to learn to fight, unlike Éowyn, who began her training as a shield-maiden at a young age.  
  
"You forgot there was a halfing too in battle" Merry piped up.  
  
Éowyn looked at him. "Of course I didn't forget, Master Holdwine" she said.  
  
"Still, Éowyn, you are under my care. If something happened to you, you could be lying out in the woods wounded or dead for hours" Arwen pointed out.  
  
"I can watch my own back" Éowyn said as she went to the dorm room.  
  
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Later that afternoon, sometime after lunch, Éowyn found herself alone in the hallway's mini-library. Snow had begun to fall outside, turning the landscape white. Éowyn knew she couldn't attempt another daring escape, so she decided to simply catch up on her studies. Just as she reached out to take a book, she heard a step in the doorway.  
  
"Who's there?" Éowyn asked.  
  
"My lady." a sinister voice greeted as Grima came right out of the shadow of the door.  
  
"Good morning" Éowyn answered rather curtly, trying to ignore the cold feeling that she always got when Wormtongue was talking to her.  
  
"You shouldn't be alone" Wormtongue said in a low voice.  
  
"I see no reason for that" Éowyn said as she turned back to her work. Wormtongue put an icy hand on hers and Éowyn jerked away in repulsion.  
  
"You have gone soft, Éowyn. Perhaps you have withered in your cage," Wormtongue whispered threateningly. "All the easier for you to be bent to a will, after it has had its way with those who protect you" he continued as he moved to press his mouth to her neck.  
  
Next thing Wormtongue knew, he was up against the wall, with Éowyn's sword against his own throat.  
  
"If you dare lay a hand on my brother or my friends, I will ensure you'd wish that you'd never seen my face" Éowyn warned with a steely edge in her voice.  
  
"Empty threats are all you say, child. So desperate, so wild you are to say such things," Wormtongue taunted.  
  
"I mean what I say" Éowyn said coldly.  
  
"I wonder how you can claim you love, with a heart such as yours. Ah, you only lust, and every other man lusts for you. Only I can love you" Wormtongue declared.  
  
Éowyn pressed the sword harder, to the point of making a dint in her enemy's flesh. "I am not a child anymore you can terrorize, Grima son of Gálmód. I curse the day you came to Edoras!" she said angrily.  
  
"You are blind to what your heart desires: me" Grima continued.  
  
"Save your breath and delusions. I have never desired your friendship, much less your affection" Éowyn said.  
  
"You must be mad to think Faramir loves you, when he only pities you and nothing more," Wormtongue taunted.  
  
Éowyn was enraged at this slander. She was about to drive her blade into Grima's throat when a voice called from somewhere "They have arrived! The warriors have returned!"  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Éowyn knew she had no time to lose as she ran down the stairs. Just as she was about to reach the second to the last flight of stairs, she caught sight of two familiar figures.  
  
"Éomer, Aragorn, it's me!" she called as she caught sight of her brother and her friend half-way up the stairs.  
  
"Éowyn! I thought you were." Éomer began when he saw her.  
  
'Silly, Arwen just overdid it" Éowyn laughed. "Lothíriel is upstairs. You might want to talk her out of over-sleeping"  
  
"How is Arwen?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"She's fine." Éowyn sighed. "I had to apologize to her though,"  
  
"You two argued about your bed rest?" Aragorn guessed. Éowyn blushed at this.  
  
"I think she wants your opinion on the correctness of her medical judgment" Éowyn said.  
  
"I'll have a word with her. I know there's someone else you want to see" Aragorn said.  
  
"Good to see you're fine, dear sister," Éomer said before he continued his way upstairs with the ranger. Éowyn hurried down the remaining flights, only to run into a crowd at the last few steps of the stairs that filled the entrance hall and spilled into adjoining rooms.  
  
"Oh why now?" she thought as she tried to make her way through the room filled with students. Just as she was almost at the doorway, she saw that he had arrived.  
  
"Faramir!" she called as she ran towards her beloved and threw her arms around him and showered his face with kisses until her lips finally met his.  
  
"I missed you, Éowyn" Faramir murmured against her lips as they parted.  
  
"I should be upset if you hadn't" Éowyn giggled.  
  
"Well, I believe you've been up to a good many things" Faramir said as he caressed her hair, not caring that they stood in the sight of half the school. He could feel the pain that their parting had caused drifting away like a nightmare at daybreak.  
  
"Perhaps I have been busier than you" Éowyn teased, looking over his shoulder. Her eyes scanned the crowd, and she could see Delilah Morgan, looking livid with rage, and Grima at the stairway, looking like he was about to break something. Éowyn couldn't help but smile triumphantly as they walked upstairs hand in hand.  
  
When they reached the boys' room, the young man reached to open the door, but Éowyn swatted his hand away.  
  
"Don't! The prankster is still on the loose" she warned him.  
  
"Why?" Faramir asked. He noticed then the door was slightly ajar.  
  
Faramir slammed the door shut, hard. The sound of a can of paint falling from the jamb followed this.  
  
"Thank you" Faramir said gratefully.  
  
"I hope you men didn't have anything by the door" Éowyn remarked as they pushed opened the door to the common room. Bright red paint splashed all over the walls, floor and even the ceiling near the door.  
  
Faramir strode over to the bathroom, and found the window there wide open. Shaking his head, he turned back to Éowyn after closing the window.  
  
"I'll clean it up, and you can go get Gandalf" Éowyn offered.  
  
"No, this is not your room. I'll do the wiping" Faramir declined.  
  
"What happened in here?" Imrahil said in surprise as he came to the door.  
  
"It seems as if someone left a welcome gift" Gandalf said as he appeared behind the Gondorian.  
  
"I guess that solves the argument" Éowyn chuckled. "I'll stay and help anyway". To her surprise, when she turned, the mess had vanished into thin air!  
  
"Where did it go?" Faramir wondered. When he looked back, he saw Gandalf walking down the hallway, laughing to himself.  
  
"How was the expedition?" Imrahil asked his nephew as they followed him into his room.  
  
"The orcs either were killed or lost in the river. We pursued them as far as the Old Forest" Faramir said, unpacking his bags. "They weren't just orcs; there were Uruk-hai and half-orcs among them too"  
  
"Did they enter the Shire?" Éowyn asked, plopping down on a chair.  
  
"Nay, we overtook them in hope that they wouldn't pass the borders. We slew many there by the River Lhûn. But a small group crossed the hills of Evendim and attempted to go down the Brandywine Some hobbits at Buckland fought them off till we joined them not less than four days ago" Faramir recounted.  
  
"At least you're unscathed" Éowyn smiled.  
  
"What took you so long to get back?" Imrahil asked.  
  
"A few accidents on the road and some small orc bands" Faramir said.  
  
"You aren't the only ones who've been in accidents" Imrahil said.  
  
"I heard. I half-expected you to be up and about, Éowyn" Faramir said.  
  
"You know me too well," Éowyn said.  
  
"Nobody knows until now who is responsible," Imrahil muttered.  
  
"Have you eaten already?" Éowyn asked Faramir, hoping to change the topic.  
  
"On the road. Though I doubt I'll get any sleep tonight" Faramir grinned.  
  
"Is there something wrong?" Éowyn joked.  
  
"Nothing, milady. What do you wish we do later? Work on your Sindarin, go and unmask the Tenth Ringwraith?" Faramir said.  
  
As if Faramir's words had summoned the prankster forth, another shout rang through the halls.  
  
"Not again! Who is it this time?" Éowyn exclaimed as she, Imrahil and Faramir hurried to the doorway.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"If there be a way to unmask the fiend before another serious accident occurs, I do not see it" Elrond said half an hour later as he finished preparing a salve. He, Aragorn (who was covered in bright blue paint), Éomer, Lothíriel, Pippin, Merry, Frodo, Sam, Faramir, Éowyn, Legolas and Gimli, were in the dormitory kitchen on the first floor.  
  
"In whatever case, none of the pranks were a matter for jest," Aragorn muttered as he held a bag of ice to the lump on his head.  
  
"However, evil oft betrays itself. Remember what happened at Orthanc with Saruman and Wormtongue, and more recently, with Delilah and Wormtongue and Greg," Gimli said.  
  
"I knew not of the trap in the study" Aragorn said  
  
"I suspect Wormtongue is behind all this" Éomer said.  
  
"Do not be hasty" a voice said from outside.  
  
"Who said that?" Lothíriel wondered as she went to the window. It had taken some bribing and convincing from Éomer to get her up and about.  
  
"An Ent! I never knew there were Ents here!" Legolas marveled. Indeed, right before their very eyes, standing out in the snow, was an old Ent,  
  
"Hoom! Master Elrond, I bid you good day. Seems like a bitter winter here in the North does it not?" the Ent greeted.  
  
"Well, if it isn't Fangorn himself!" Merry exclaimed.  
  
"The mention of that name is not welcome to many in Rohan" Éowyn murmured.  
  
"Hello Treebeard! What errand brings you far away from the glades of your forest?" Pippin called.  
  
"Indeed, I have good tidings to bear. The Entwives have returned! Fimbrethil now dwells again under the eaves of the Entwood. However, this is not why I have come here," the Ent said.  
  
"Then why have you come?" Faramir asked, finally daring to speak.  
  
"For many reasons, but since you are very hasty folk, then I must only say that I have come to pay a visit to a certain Huorn that perhaps some here are acquainted with" Treebeard said slowly.  
  
"Old Man Willow, I guess" Merry said.  
  
"That willow? I don't think anybody ever told of our run-in with that tree," Aragorn said.  
  
"Let's not speak of it" Faramir said with a shudder.  
  
"You're too secretive! Besides, you came out unscathed, what's there not to tell?" Éowyn said.  
  
"Let me guess, you fell asleep by the Willow, and it came and trapped you within?" Sam said.  
  
"Not quite. One minute, I was resting by the tree, the next I was underwater, with the tree's roots holding down my head and my feet!" Faramir said.  
  
"Just like what happened to me during the War!" Frodo added.  
  
"The same dreadful thing happened to Elladan and Elrohir, who were with me" Faramir said. "Aragorn had to pull us out"  
  
"Hmm, he has been up to mischief again, has he not? That's why the Master himself, Tom Bombadil, he says you hasty folk call him, begged me to come here to teach that Old Man Willow some manners," Treebeard said. "I have heard of you, Master Elrond, and Merry and Pippin too. Also, I recall Legolas from Mirkwood, and Gimli, his axe-bearer friend. Also do I remember Éomer, King Theoden's nephew, and Aragorn, friend to Gandalf the Gray. But there are some here I do not recognize. Do come forward and tell me your names, and do not be hasty!"  
  
Frodo bravely came forward, with Sam in tow. "I am Frodo Baggins, son of Drogo. I'm a hobbit of the Shire as you can see. Merry and Pippin are my cousins," he said.  
  
"And I am Samwise, son of Hamfast Gamgee," Sam said.  
  
"My name is Lothíriel daughter of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth in Gondor" Lothíriel said courteously as she came forward.  
  
"I am Faramir son of the late Steward Denethor of Minas Tirith, the fair city of Gondor," Faramir introduced himself.  
  
"My name is Éowyn daughter of Éomund of the Riddermark," Éowyn said finally.  
  
"I have heard of your great deeds and your names, only that I do not know your faces. Have you seen Gandalf? I greatly desire to speak with him" Treebeard said.  
  
"I'll run upstairs and find him" Lothíriel volunteered.  
  
"There is no need to be hasty, young one," Treebeard said as the woman ran off to the stairs.  
  
"Indeed, she may speak to Ents, but her heart and ways are as wild as the Sea, which she loves," Faramir mused.  
  
"How long will you be remaining here in Eriador?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"I do not know. For you, my stay here may be long, for Old Willow is stubborn," the Ent said.  
  
"I cannot find him. He is not anywhere in this building!" Lothíriel gasped as she ran down the stairs.  
  
"Some urgent need must've drawn him away from here. No doubt, Saruman and Wormtongue are the cause of it" Éomer said.  
  
"Heed the words of the Ent, my friend! Not every trouble is their doing," Aragorn said. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"What can be keeping him? This is cause for worry already" Bilbo wondered aloud as he paced back and forth in Pippin's room, pausing now and then to look at the raging storm outside. It was almost time for supper.  
  
"Frodo and Sam used to tell me that a wizard comes exactly when he means to" Rose said reassuringly, putting down her knitting.  
  
"Yes, but it seems to be a dark hour" Diamond said.  
  
"You're too dramatic!" Estella snapped.  
  
"Curses! The prankster victimized me!" Niliwen muttered as she stomped in, her brown hair streaked with purple.  
  
"You don't need to say that. I have a clue about his identity already!" Irilia said as she emerged from under the bed.  
  
"What did he do, send you an omen of doom?" Niliwen asked gloomily.  
  
"No, but I have used the process of elimination. Those of us who went on the expedition are officially ruled out since during their absence, the incidents still took place, and some were still "painted" upon their return" Irilia declared.  
  
"That doesn't take much brains to figure that out" Elladan said. "I think Wormtongue might be responsible"  
  
"Why would Wormtongue harm Éowyn anyway if he wants her?" Elrohir questioned.  
  
"To intimidate her, perhaps. Mortals are easily bent" Elladan said.  
  
"I have a feeling he's just bored, or wants retaliation. Who have been hurt so far?" Elrohir asked.  
  
"Nearly all of us" Rose said.  
  
"I have a feeling the prankster also hurt himself to throw off the trail" Diamond inferred.  
  
"Somebody save me!" Wormtongue screeched as he ran through the hallway.  
  
"Well, what has that miserable wretch been up to?" Elladan wondered as he went out of the room.  
  
"That great brute of a tree is here! What devilry brings him to Eriador?" Wormtongue cried as he fell to the floor shaking.  
  
"He's here to do some taming, and if you do not stand up this instant, I will hand you over to him for taming," Elladan said as he approached him.  
  
"Dwimmerlaik!" Grima spat at the elf as he stood up as straight as he could.  
  
"I do not know who he fears more, Treebeard or Saruman" Elrohir said as he joined his brother.  
  
"He fears both. Yet he also fears Gandalf, Éomer, Éowyn, Aragorn and Faramir" Elladan answered.  
  
"All of who have every right to slay him to avenge one dishonor or another. Though the right falls best to the Rohirrim," Elrohir said.  
  
"Come now, let's go and join the rest for the evening meal" Elladan said to his brother. "Are you joining us, Master Grima?"  
  
But Wormtongue simply regarded them, and yelled a curse in Rohirric as he ran off into the shadows.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"She is blind; she is still a lily of frost. Frost she may be, but beautiful still" a voice said in Grima's head as he ran to Saruman's office.  
  
"I have done my end of the bidding as his servant. It was his bidding that brought me here to Eriador. Now I must claim my prize" Wormtongue muttered to himself as he approached the door. His fist felt heavy as he knocked. The old door creaked open and Grma padded in.  
  
"Now what have you come here to grovel for?" Saruman asked. "I'm trying to trap the Grayhame in a storm!"  
  
"I have done what you asked me to do. I have come to Eriador to assist you. Now, will you give me what I asked for?" Wormtongue said.  
  
"One other of the House of Eorl still lives" the wizard said.  
  
"Still, I at least deserve something for the effort!" Wormtongue argued. "Someday, he will fall"  
  
"One day, I'm Lord of Isengard. The next, I'm only given this accursed desk because this fool threw my palantir out the window" Saruman scowled.  
  
"Well, can I have my reward now?" Grima whined.  
  
Thirty seconds later, Grima found himself outside Saruman's door, just as the wizard shut it, yelling epithets in Quenya.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Éowyn glared up at Faramir as she looked at the sword positioned kill point a foot over her neck. Never before had she been beaten with a blade.especially her own sword.  
  
"Surrender now, Éowyn?" Faramir asked her. It was quite early in the morning, too early in the morning, as it was just past midnight. The storm had died down, and a cool breeze blew through the night air. And no better place was there for sparring under the moonlight other than the back garden, a wide, grassy space behind the dormitory.  
  
"What do you think?" Éowyn said, gasping for breath as she lay on her back on the ground. It had been a close match, but in the end, Faramir had managed to get the upper hand.  
  
"I do not think that's very wise to ask, my lady" Faramir said.  
  
"Well, I know no Rider can outmatch you in battle" Éowyn said.  
  
"Should I take it as a "yes", dear?" Faramir asked.  
  
"How about as a compliment?" Éowyn teased.  
  
"You haven't answered my question" Faramir insisted.  
  
"Am I dealing with a warrior or a scholar? Only scholars insist on being answered" Éowyn said.  
  
"Sometimes I have to be both" Faramir said.  
  
"Someday, I will get my own back," Éowyn laughed. "Now will you please give me back my sword?"  
  
Faramir handed the sword to her as he helped her up then went to retrieve his own sword, which was lying on the earth.  
  
"Do you not want to try again?" Éowyn asked disappointedly, trying to disguise her weariness as she watched him sheath his sword.  
  
"You sound too tired to attempt another duel" Faramir said.  
  
"Hmm, perhaps that is so. I cannot argue with you when you're right," Éowyn admitted, suppressing a shiver as she looked up at the starry sky.  
  
"Are you really like this, or was I just too much for you this time?" Faramir asked.  
  
Éowyn yawned a little and finally sheathed her sword. "Tomorrow then, can it be for just the two of us?" she asked.  
  
"Later is more like it. I believe it's past midnight" Faramir replied.  
  
"Then when the sun rises" Éowyn said, her voice growing soft. She thought she was going to fall asleep on her feet and she swayed wearily. Seeing this, Faramir tenderly scooped her up in his arms and carried her upstairs. When he arrived at the girls' door, he found it was locked and no amount of calling would awake the sleepers within.  
  
"Éowyn?" he asked her quietly.  
  
"Mmph, let me sleep" Éowyn murmured incoherently.  
  
"Do you have your keys?" Faramir asked. Éowyn shook her head slightly and turned her head to rest on Faramir's chest. Seeing no alternative, Faramir went to the boys' room and managed to get the door open and he brought her to his bedroom, as the sofa in the common room was being used. Taking care to unbuckle both their swords, he gently laid her down on the bed.  
  
"Please, stay with me" Éowyn begged, opening her eyes. "It's so cold, too cold,"  
  
"I will" Faramir said as he sat beside her on the bed and spread a blanket over her slender form. Impulsively, he gave her a kiss on her forehead. "Good night. I love you"  
  
"And I love you too. Good morning" Éowyn corrected and she reached for his hand and held it tight as she closed her eyes.  
  
Faramir sat up a bit longer, watching Ëowyn's breathing and the stars outside the window. Finally, he felt drowsiness creep up on him and he lay down on the bed, taking care to keep a distance between him and Éowyn, for propriety's sake. However, Éowyn snuggled up to him and draped an arm around him. Faramir then took her in his arms and held her close as they both drifted to sleep.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The first thing Faramir felt when he awoke was the rather unfamiliar feeling of something or somebody in his arms. Cautiously, he opened his eyes and looked to his right, to catch a glimpse of Éowyn, asleep with her head on his chest.  
  
"Is this just a dream?" Faramir thought to himself as he ran a finger through his beloved's tresses and kissed the top of her head. But Faramir knew it wasn't; a hint of the smells of grass and saddle leather still lingered in their clothes, and in Éowyn's hair.  
  
"I wonder what if every morning, it would be like this for the two of us?" Faramir thought. It wasn't the first time he'd thought of wedding Éowyn. Even at the Houses of Healing, he harbored a secret hope that perhaps someday, when the darkness passed away, they would build their lives anew, together. Over the past two years, that hope grew stronger, and now it was almost possible.  
  
"Perhaps I should ask her now" Faramir pondered. Judging by the light in the room, it was almost mid-morning. It seemed like forever, yet it seemed too soon before Éowyn began to stir next to him and she finally opened her eyes sleepily.  
  
"Good morning Éowyn" Faramir greeted affectionately. Éowyn almost started at the sound of his voice but she quickly regained her composure upon remembering what had happened earlier.  
  
"Good morning Faramir," Éowyn said softly, propping herself up on her elbow. "Have you been awake for long?" she asked.  
  
"Not really. This has been the best morning I've had in a time," Faramir replied, thinking back on the three weeks he'd been away.  
  
"Why is that so?" Éowyn asked.  
  
"Because I now know for certain I will lay my eyes on you again, my love" Faramir answered. Éowyn smiled and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Well, I'm surprised you're smiling at me after what I did to you," Faramir continued jokingly as he cupped her cheek.  
  
"Someday, I will find a way to get my own back," Éowyn shot back, giving him a light punch on the arm.  
  
"Ah, no matter what, I know you'll always be a shield-maiden," Faramir teased.  
  
"Perhaps" Éowyn said.  
  
"It looks like we're getting more than what we bargained for, considering you only wanted to see me again when the sun rose," Faramir remarked.  
  
"We can't make this a habit," Éowyn said playfully as she threw the blanket off her. She didn't mind since they were both still clad in the clothes that they'd worn while sparring in the garden. Though secretly, she wished they could stay in bed longer.  
  
"Well, how shall we spend the day?" Faramir asked as they both got off the bed.  
  
"Today, it's your choice. It was my idea to go sparring yesterday" Éowyn said.  
  
"I'll figure it out later," Faramir said, pulling her closer to him.  
  
"Anything will be fine, as long as I'm with you" Éowyn breathed as she drew him down for a kiss. Her hands stroked his hair, twirling the strands around her fingers as she pressed her body closer to his. Faramir was a bit hesitant to continue, as he knew that if they kept this passionate embrace up too long, he was bound to lose his self-control sooner or later. But he decided to allow himself to indulge in this kiss for a while. Gently, he put an arm around her waist, just as the door creaked open.  
  
"Are you going to stay in bed or.." Éomer began as he flung the door open. His eyes widened at the scene before him. At the sound of his voice, Faramir and Éowyn quickly broke their kiss.  
  
"Umm, good day, Éomer" Faramir managed to say hesitantly. He noticed that his friend was carrying a mop and a broom.  
  
"How dare you dishonor my sister? You, alone with her in your bedroom, nothing less!" Éomer yelled furiously at Faramir.  
  
"We did nothing of that sort" Éowyn said, putting a hand on Éomer's shoulder as if to pacify him.  
  
Éomer paused, considering his sister's words. He knew Éowyn never lied to his face, so he had reason to believe her. "I do hope you are telling the truth, sister" he finally said.  
  
"Do you not believe me?" Éowyn asked.  
  
"If I see no reason not to believe," Éomer answered. "Now instead of displaying your affection, why don't you two get to work and clean up your rooms as everyone is doing?" he continued, tossing the items to them.  
  
"I think we're going to have to put our plans on hold," Faramir said to Éowyn as he caught the mop. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"You didn't come in last night" Lothíriel said to Éowyn later that day as they worked pulling stuff (such as garments) out from underneath the furniture in the girls' room.  
  
"It's a long story," Éowyn said.  
  
"I heard from Aragorn that you lost a sparring match to Faramir," Arwen remarked as she threw a dress into a large pile of laundry by the door.  
  
"And who told him?" Éowyn asked, sweeping away some debris with a broom.  
  
"Aragorn heard it from Éomer, who got it from Faramir," Arwen answered nonchalantly.  
  
"Faramir told my brother?" Éowyn said in horror.  
  
"Éomer forced an explanation out of him as to your whereabouts last night, and well, you know how your brother is." Lothíriel began. "Well, he said it didn't come to blows,"  
  
"By the way, what are Aragorn's breeches doing in the pile?" Éowyn asked, picking up a worn, black, garment.  
  
"Oh that. I once allowed him to use our bathroom because your brother locked him out," Arwen said sheepishly. "I'll return them in a while,"  
  
"Which reminds me, I have to give back Éomer's shirt" Lothíriel laughed, leaving to retrieve the item.  
  
"How could she wear his shirt without it falling right off her?" Arwen asked.  
  
"I know, Éomer is quite tall, and Lothíriel is rather tiny," Éowyn snickered.  
  
"I had to wear it over my dress once to do a project" Lothíriel said as she returned with the clothing. "I'll slip it in their laundry pile" she continued before she went out the door. In the hallway, the sounds of laughing, running footsteps and various things getting tossed around could be heard.  
  
"Now what are they up to now?" Arwen said crossly as she looked towards the door. "I hope Aragorn isn't up to something!"  
  
"You worry about him too much Arwen. You know he can take care of himself!" Éowyn remarked as she pulled out a wad of gum from underneath a rug.  
  
Suddenly, Lothíriel came back in, choking and coughing. "There's a dust cloud outside!" she gasped as she shut the door.  
  
After a while, Gimli poked his head in the doorway sheepishly. "Sorry ladies. That dust cloud was mine" he apologized gruffly.  
  
"No harm done" Arwen smiled. The dwarf left the room quietly.  
  
"I wonder how many of us will have dust clouds in their rooms" Lothíriel remarked ruefully as she pulled out some old essays from underneath a closet. "I didn't know these essays still existed!"  
  
"I dread to think about it," Arwen said with a shudder.  
  
"By the way, why are you so protective about Aragorn?" Éowyn asked.  
  
"Well, can you believe what happened after we got engaged? He went off again, and he'd only come back to Rivendell to see me and my father only once in a blue moon! Then sometimes he'd be brought back in almost at the point of death. You know how many times in the past we had to look for some herb of healing just so he'd last the night?" Arwen replied, drawing sympathetic looks from her friends.  
  
"Otherwise, I think he's perfect," she continued dreamily.  
  
"Well, so does my brother get on your nerves, Lothíriel?" Éowyn asked, slightly annoyed by Arwen's answer.  
  
"Only when he is stubborn!" Lothíriel giggled as she tossed a wad of paper in a wastebasket. "But that's one thing among the many things we have in common,"  
  
"Sometimes I think your cousin is too romantic," Éowyn said.  
  
"Éowyn, you're a lucky woman. Your man can write you poetry in three languages, no less!" Lothíriel said.  
  
"Well, Arwen is luckier. Aragorn mistook her for Luthien herself!" Éowyn said ruefully.  
  
"Though perhaps Lothíriel is also right," Éowyn thought quietly. She smiled slightly as she recalled the events of the wee hours of the morning.  
  
"Now why can't Éomer give me a compliment like that?" Lothíriel exclaimed.  
  
"If he did, you'd think he was out of his mind," Éowyn reminded her.  
  
"Oh I know he is not much of the poetic type," Lothíriel admitted. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Meanwhile, in the men's dorm room, other matters had to be taken care of.  
  
"Poor Legolas. He almost stopped breathing back in his room," Éomer said somberly as he wrung out a wet rag.  
  
"I heard tidings. It seems as if his friend Master Gimli has been a bit neglectful of his duty," Aragorn said as he scrubbed at an ink mark on the floor.  
  
"It's beyond my mind's reckoning on how did you three manage to stain this floor," Imrahil said as he went to clean up the mop.  
  
"Don't look at me. Those stains weren't there when I went out last night" Faramir said nonchalantly as he came out of the bathroom with another wet rag.  
  
"Where were you and Éowyn last night anyway?" Imrahil asked, obviously unaware of what had transpired previously.  
  
"Sparring" the three younger men replied in unison.  
  
"And who had the victory?" Imrahil asked, knowing that both Faramir and Éowyn were skilled fighters.  
  
"I believe the Lady of Rohan finally met her match," Aragorn grinned.  
  
"It's about time my sister did," Éomer added.  
  
"Indeed, and she has been your match time and again," Faramir said. Aragorn and Imrahil tried to stifle their chuckling.  
  
Éomer flushed crimson very briefly. "Enough of that," he finally said, flinging the rag in the air.  
  
"Whose idea was it to have clean-up today?" Aragorn asked.  
  
"Gandalf's. He came back very early this morning. He said he was out helping Treebeard deal with Old Man Willow," Imrahil replied.  
  
"It wasn't Saruman's idea?" Éomer said in surprise.  
  
"We tell you never to jump to conclusions. Now if we only can unmask the prankster, then we'll all be fine," Aragorn said.  
  
"Don't speak about it anymore," Faramir said.  
  
Suddenly, a yell came from outside. The men rushed out into the hallway. "I thought I didn't rig that door!" a voice shouted.  
  
"There! I told you he would reveal himself" Gimli pronounced triumphantly as he and Legolas came up dragging a paint-covered Greg.  
  
'What? I'm innocent!" Greg protested. A crowd began to gather at the scene.  
  
"We all just heard you" Frodo said as he came out of his room.  
  
"I can see you from afar" Galadriel added as she came up the stairs.  
  
"It's good you *admitted*. I was about to take extreme measures. Now, I will have to decide on your punishment," Gandalf said as he came up, following Galadriel.  
  
"No! Please! It was Grima's fault!" Greg pleaded.  
  
"You lie" Grima hissed as he came down from the rafters.  
  
"Why did you do it?" Aragorn demanded.  
  
"I don't know!" Greg wailed pathetically. Aragorn was about to come up to Greg to question him further, but Elrond stayed him with his hand.  
  
"It would take a lot more than questioning to fathom his mind. For now, I suggest we keep him under close guard" Galadriel said calmly.  
  
"We will see, Lady Galadriel," Gandalf said courteously. Quietly, they passed out of the halls, first the accused, then Gandalf, then Galadriel and Celeborn, and last of all Elrond. Those who remained quickly turned back to their work, murmuring and talking among themselves about the incidents.  
  
"Well, we're back to normal" Legolas muttered.  
  
"That is if there's such a thing" Elrohir said. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- A/N: Sorry if this took forever! I'll see if I can get this story done by August at the latest. Expect the next update of "The Ithilien Diaries" in mid-late May and the next update of this sometime after that. These stories might come on slow, as my schedule has been getting swamped lately. Please leave a review! That's the best (belated) birthday gift you can give me! 


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